


Got It Memorized?

by nowjkjkjklololol



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2020-01-12 04:54:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18439445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nowjkjkjklololol/pseuds/nowjkjkjklololol
Summary: Ongoing fanfic in which Axel is suddenly able to remember past memories of himself and a blonde, and sets out to find him. And to not seem crazy when he does.





	1. Chapter One

Axel was on the prowl, as usual. Yet another Thursday night, in yet another gloomy, cramped, and predominantly overcast town, bar-hopping his way through the city: and though he watched the crowds at every bar with desperate, hungry eyes, he left every one without speaking to anyone except the bartender. When people looked past tattoos and wild red hair and found him appealing enough to approach, he would continue to search the room beyond them without even registering their presence until they became dejected enough or angry enough to withdraw. He no longer knew how many bars in how many towns he had visited, but he had left each one after a single, quick drink and then moved on. After hitting every bar, no matter how small, on Thursday, he would spend Friday through Wednesday finding the next town that met his requirements and traveling there, and then would start all over again. If his funds got low, he picked up an odd job; if he was tired, he slept in his car. Always moving, always searching, always feeling both more defeated and more hopeful with every new place he found himself in.

It hadn’t always been like this.

Axel spent the first twenty-three years of his life growing into adulthood just like anyone else; he was working his way through college getting an art degree his parents thought was a waste of money, he had a car and a group of close friends and a boring but stable desk job, and he had a healthy social life around his classes. Things had been going pretty well for the tall, lanky redhead until a series of poor decisions changed everything for him.

He and his usual crowd had been leaving a party at a little after one in the morning, planning to head back to someone’s place to finish up the night, when something running onto the road caused the driver of the car Axel was riding in to spin out of control and slam them into a tree going well over the speed limit. The driver and the two other passengers in the car had walked away with only minor cuts and bruises, but Axel had wound up in a coma with life-threatening injuries. Every doctor and nurse that saw him had repeatedly expressed their shock that he had even survived long enough to get to the emergency room, and he lost a few months to unconsciousness, but what he gained was so much more than that; when Axel finally opened his eyes, he remembered everything leading up to the crash. Not simply the last twenty-or-so years most people would, or his full twenty-three-plus years since birth, but memories of past lives filled his head and his heart and utterly destroyed any semblance of happiness he’d experienced as the person he had been before the accident. What he had found in his memories rewrote the very definition of ‘happy’ for him. Despite the dates and locations and experiences of his memories varying wildly, there was one face that seemed to repeatedly appear beside his in almost every one. The memories he found that were not filled with a head of fluffy yet spiky blonde hair were...dark. Empty. Most ended unpleasantly. Yet over and over, in life after life, whenever a tiny blonde male began appearing at his side, his life found a purpose, and every memory connected to him was vibrant and comforting and unspeakably, fundamentally happy. Big, deep blue eyes burned in his mind when he came to, and his entire being ached with the crushing weight of loss he felt when he reached out blindly and felt nothing but cool air under his desperately searching hand. There was nothing that mattered to him from before the crash anymore except a very few close friends. His entire existence narrowed and sharpened into a single point of focus that he already felt pulling at him. He didn’t tell anyone about it except his roommate Demyx, who was his closest friend, and Demyx’s boyfriend Zexion, who happened to be there to witness his drunken admission; he was afraid people would think he suffered brain damage in the accident or had gone crazy from it and keep him somewhere to observe and check on. The day after he and his roommates had gotten wasted together and he had revealed his secret to them, Axel got up early with a new resolve solidified in his mind. He went to the bank, withdrew a good amount from his savings, and then sent a very satisfying text to his boss saying he wouldn’t be coming in again. He then packed up his car with everything he would need and disappeared, leaving behind an envelope stuffed with enough cash to cover his share of the next few month’s rent and a letter explaining himself to his best friend. He’d spent the following four years following his searching pattern, knowing that would be the best chance for him to find the ghost from his past that haunted him. He could remember conversations he’d never had in which the blonde explained that the weekdays were no good because he didn’t want to go to work hungover, and Friday or the weekend meant his friends would try to keep him out far longer than he wanted to spend away from home. So Axel continued to search every one of the crowded, gloomy cities that his blue-eyed blonde preferred, because he knew that unless he knew the man’s daily life and habits, it would be impossible to locate his focus.

Roxas only went out with his friends on Thursdays.


	2. Chapter Two

“Okay, seriously Hayner, how many times do I have to go over this with you?” The exasperated tone did nothing to diminish his best friend’s exuberant grin, and Roxas sighed in annoyance. “We can do beach day on Saturday, get pretzels and junk food and stay all day, all that jazz. But if you wanna hit the bar, it’s tonight or nothing. Thursday is bar night and that’s not changing...and I was really looking forward to getting trashed.” He threw a pleading glance towards his other two best friends, lounging on the sofa the four of them shared. They had all been friends since grade school, and had all opted to attend the same college together, so the first thing they’d done was to get themselves into a small house as close to campus as possible that they could rent. So now they were all broke college kids but at least broke college kids living with best friends and a lower rent bill. The one they’d found was a three bedroom, but Pence didn’t mind his futon being in the living room because he got the huge hall closet to himself and, as he so often put it, he ‘got the TV all night long’ and was ‘closer to the fridge,’ so they’d all agreed to it. He and Olette, who were watching Hayner try to convince Roxas to have a bonfire at the beach tonight, just shook their heads at the bickering pair, unwilling to join the debate. Roxas would only agree to bar night on Thursday, so they knew Hayner would ultimately lose, but it was still entertaining to watch them go at it. Roxas turned back on Hayner, doubling down upon seeing the smirk plastered across his face. “You know what, I’ve had a shit day. If you guys wanna do a beach night bonfire, y’all go without me. I’ll be at The Snuggly Duckling if you change your mind.” Ignoring protests and calls, Roxas turned, grabbed his hoodie and wallet off the back of the couch, and headed out the front door before they could stop him. He grumpily pulled on his hoodie, fiddling with the zipper on the black garment before tugging out the headphones he perpetually left stuffed in the pocket and jamming the jack into his phone. He’d woken up late, missed turning in an assignment in class, had been chewed out when he got into work because he’d worn the wrong shoes, spilled a huge, scalding pot of coffee on himself, and then lost a wheel on his skateboard on the way home. Today had been fucked, and he needed a drink. Or three. He sighed to himself as he finally got some music pumping out of the earbuds and popped them into his ears. Luckily, the bar that was their usual haunt was located right by campus and thus just a short walk down the street from their home; no need to ever worry they’d get too drunk to get home safely when they could actually crawl home if they had to. Right now, though, he just wanted to camp out in a booth and if his friends didn’t want to join him, that would probably be for the best, because he was in the kind of mood he knew would bring everyone down. At this point, Roxas just wanted to suffer through the evening and start over again tomorrow. He trudged along down the sidewalk, cooling evening air taking some of the heat from his anger as he crushed fallen leaves underfoot to the sounds from his headphones. His mind wandered to what he needed to finish up tomorrow for his class before he would have a gloriously free weekend ahead of him; it was the week before finals so most of his classes were going easy on the workload to give students a chance to study. Lost in thought, he found himself waving to the familiar bouncer at the door before he realized he’d made it to the bar. Inside, a small row of booths lined the window and led to the bar, beyond which were more booths and tables, a small kitchen, and stairs leading to an upstairs that had pool tables, arcade games, and more tables. That was their usual spot and where Roxas was headed, but despite the waitresses he knew would be making rounds there, he always liked to stop in and get his first drink at the bar.

“Hey Luxord,” he called in greeting to the blonde, heavily pierced man behind the bar as he squeezed his way up to the front. Luxord caught his eye and nodded in greeting as he continued working on the drink he was making, and Roxas slouched against the bar, looking around aimlessly. He arrived much later than the group normally did, so the bar was already crowded and seating was limited, and Roxas vaguely hoped upstairs wasn’t packed as well.

“Good evening, Roxas. Missing the other three, I see,” came the smooth baritone voice of Luxord as he sidled over to where Roxas was leaning. The small blonde noticed a flash of red in his peripheral; another guy with a bright, fiery mane of hair several spaces down at the bar had whipped his head around when Luxord had spoken, and he wondered for a split second if they shared the same name before immediately disregarding the stranger.

“Yeah, they ditched me, can you believe it? But after the day I’ve had today, I needed to come see you.” He flashed a winning smile at the taller blonde, whose mouth twitched into a smile of his own as he grabbed a glass.

“Ah, I see. Are you wanting me to come up with something new for you to try, then?” Luxord asked, already eyeing the row of liquors lined up along the back wall. Roxas nodded with a huge smile. Luxord was the best bartender at this place, and Roxas especially favored him because he could talk the man into making him drinks that were very strong but still tasted sweet and fruity, which was a must for someone who loved alcohol but hated the disgustingly bitter taste of beer. He watched as Luxord began creating his drink, starting with a significant dose of a thick-looking red liquor and a large splash of vodka before adding a pink, fizzy soda from the tap and finishing it with some ice and a few maraschino cherries. When is was slid across the bar to him, it was done with a slight smirk. “This one’s a tad sour, but still very sweet. I think you’ll find you like it,” he said before moving away to another patron who was flagging him down. Roxas took a deep drink, trusting the man to have made something he would be fine with, and wasn’t disappointed; it was tart, but light and sweet, despite the first taste of alcohol for the day stinging his nose. It was...really good. He threw back the short highball glass, consuming a considerable portion before returning it to the bar top, and sighed as he began to let go of the day’s stress. The sweeter the drink, the faster he could put it away and the drunker he could get. After he’d polished off the first and received a second from Luxord, he pointed upstairs and waved before hopping down from the barstool he had occupied when it had become available and heading towards the back where the staircase was. He slipped one of his earbuds back in to drown out the popular hits playing from the speakers overhead as he began the short climb.

Upstairs was more populated than usual, but still nowhere as crowded as the main floor had been, so Roxas slid himself into a booth near the pool tables that was empty. Brand New’s “Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t” came on his headphones and he took a long drink before putting in the second earbud, closing his eyes, and focusing in on the melancholy that filled him. If he were completely honest with himself, it wasn’t just today. He’d been in somewhat of a rut for a few months now. The huge coffee chain he was employed at underpaid and overworked him, he’d been single for far longer than he cared to admit, and he’d started to wonder if he’d made the right choice in major as his grades began to dip and it became harder and harder to drag himself to his classes. He felt like he needed to stop all of the routine monotony of his day to day and figure out what the fuck he was doing and what he wanted, but he didn’t have the energy for that type of self-introspection, because the realization that he didn’t feel excited about much anymore was exhausting. It made him angry and confused and-

The real world crashed back down upon him sharply as someone yanked his headphones painfully out of his ears by the cord. He gave a quiet yelp of surprise as his eyes darted up to locate his aggressor and fell upon a familiar face. The guy’s name was Seifer, if he remembered correctly; he and his group of friends would sometimes play pool against them. They had a somewhat-friendly rivalry with the group, but nothing that would warrant the look of controlled anger the man currently wore. A harsh sneer spread over his face as he gained Roxas’s attention, and began to speak to the petite blue-haired girl and the large, ripped guy behind him.

“Look at that, guys. It’s Hayner’s little friend. What was his name again?” Roxas glared up at the stocky, slightly larger blonde man standing over him and opened his mouth to say something, but the girl beat him to it.

“Roxas,” she replied tonelessly, staring at the wood grain in the pool cue she held, and the huge brunette nodded and smiled aggressively.

“The tiny one,” he muttered, cracking his knuckles ominously and sending Roxas’s brain spinning into a confused panic. What the hell was going on? They played pool against each other once or twice a month, he’d never even seen them outside the bar. What could he have possibly done to- Hayner. What the fuck had Hayner done?

“Where’s your friends, yo?” Seifer leaned in close enough that Roxas could smell the alcohol on his breath and growled the words aggressively into Roxas’s face, making the smaller blonde gulp.

“They, uh...didn’t wanna come out,” Roxas stammered, leaning back to get some breathing room. “Finals and all, you know.” Seifer’s expression turned into a malicious grin as he slid into the booth opposite the smaller man, leaving Rai and Fuu to flank the ends of the benches and prevent any attempts at escape.

“I don’t think that’s why. I think Hayner’s too much of a pussy to show up where we could find him, and he’s too much of a pussy to tell you what’s going on, so he chickened out and let you show up here by yourself. Unfortunately for you.” Roxas froze, trying not to let any of the emotions running through him to show on his face. Was this what the impromptus beach trip had been about? What had Hayner DONE? Instead of panicking, Roxas held on firmly to the anger building in his chest, letting it burn away everything else and allowing him to give a cool shrug, taking a sip from his glass.

“Well, if you’re right, I don’t know what you want with me. I don’t know anything. I’m just here to get drunk.” He set his glass back down, only for Seifer to reach out and grab it. He swirled the liquid around in the cup without taking his eyes off the blonde’s and then tipped it up, finishing off the mostly-full glass in one go.

“Sorry, it looks like you’re done. Do you want to hear the message I want you to deliver first, or should we just get right down to business?” Roxas glared at the empty glass before pulling a cigarette from the pack in his pocket and lighting it up.

“I guess give me the message first,” he sighed, the picture of boredom while internally he was just desperately trying to stall before whatever he meant by ‘business’ happened. Rai sat down on the bench next to him, forcing him to squeeze himself to the side quickly to avoid being crushed, while Fuu took a seat much more gracefully next to Seifer.

“Hayner’s been hanging out with us for poker nights, and he’s owed us the last few weeks. I told him Monday to pay up by Friday, and I still haven’t heard from him. So I just want you to show up and tell him in person and make sure he got my message to get me that money by tomorrow. Think you can do that, yo?” Roxas rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, puffing a big cloud of smoke into the air between them.

“Gaia, this is some stupid shakedown? How much does he owe you? We’ll just pay it off for the idiot,” he said, wondering if he would have enough in his small but respectable savings to just pay them off right now. Seifer’s eyes gleamed mockingly and Rai outright laughed at his words, making his mouth go suddenly dry.

“Twenty-two thousand munny,” came the flat response from Fuu as she crossed her arms and leaned back. Well, that was a huge nope, his eight thousand saved seemed like nothing suddenly. He leaned back as well just as Fuu had done, mirroring her dismissiveness.

“You know I don’t have that kind of munny on me, right?” he asked with a tone that questioned whether or not they were idiots, and Seifer’s grin grew predatory.

“We aren’t taking a single munny from you tonight, don’t you worry, yo. We’re gonna give you a few things instead, actually.” His head tilted suddenly and suddenly Roxas’s shoulder was on fire; Rai had gripped his wrist in a surprisingly agile move, twisting it behind his back and jerking upward until his shoulder creaked and he had to bite his lip before he yelled and started a scene at his favorite bar. Seifer seemed to be thinking similar thoughts, because he winked and said, “Let’s move this outside, yo.” Keeping his grip tight, Rai slid out of the booth, dragging Roxas’s smaller frame along behind him and painfully forcing him to his feet. The couple behind them were too focused on each other to notice what was going on, and the small group of girls closest to the stairs were currently all trying to squeeze themselves into a selfie together; no one was going to notice him being escorted out unless he started a fight inside, which would surely get him kicked out forever. Wincing against the pressure in his arm, he allowed himself to be drug towards the stairs and forced down them. At the bottom, a right turn would lead towards the main bar and entrance, while a left had bathrooms and dead-ended at an emergency exit door, which was clearly where they were headed. Roxas was only afforded a split-second glance towards the bar before Rai’s larger form blocked the narrow hallway, and he hadn’t been able to catch sight of Luxord, so he knew there would be no help coming from inside once that door clicked shut behind him. He began to struggle; if he could break free now, or draw attention, it would be clear to any staff that he was only defending himself. At his movements, however, both Seifer and Rai snapped into action. Rai wrenched his arm up higher between his shoulder blades at the same time Seifer spun around and punched him once sharply in the stomach, knocking the wind from his lungs and causing nothing but a small grunt of pain to escape him as he attempted to double up upon himself. Rai then pushed him to stumble the last few steps forward out the door Seifer held open and into the waiting alleyway on his own. Fuu followed behind the three, pulling the door shut behind them with a foreboding click as Roxas panted, still trying to catch his breath.

“Fucking throw a sucker punch like that because you’re afraid to fight me fair?” he spat at Seifer as soon as he was able, knowing in his heart they were about to beat the shit out of him and hoping he could goad Seifer into fighting himself rather than letting Rai and his intimidating musculature do the job. Seifer stepped forward, leaning down to get in Roxas’s face again.

“I don’t need to waste my energy on you, you’re nothing,” he jeered, seeming amused by the hate-filled glare Roxas was giving him. “You’re too small to really have any fun with, anyway.” He turned around dismissively, about to walk away, and missed the flash in the smaller blonde’s eyes.

“You know, I hear the same thing about you, Seifer,” he said sweetly, and the air was still and quiet for a brief second before Seifer’s voice cracked through the tension.

“Hold him,” he snapped, spinning around to face them again and giving Roxas a furious look as the big brunette grabbed him from behind, pinning his arms behind him tightly and only increasing the force of the hold in response to the small blonde’s struggles. “You’re going to regret that,” Seifer’s growl came just a second before he quickly approached again, and then he drew his clenched fist back to deliver what was sure to be a powerful blow. Roxas gritted his teeth and screwed his eyes shut, readying himself for the punch in a second that seemed to stretch on forever. His eyes snapped open and he whipped his head around as an unfamiliar voice sounded in the suddenly silent alley.

“Don’t you even fucking think about it,” the voice hissed, and Roxas looked up to see the profile of a ridiculously tall, slender, red-haired male, who’d caught Seifer’s arm mid-punch and was gripping it with his own clenched hand. Rai and Fuu had frozen, clearly unsure of what to do with their leader incapacitated, and the newcomer ignored them for the time being as he focused his rage onto the man before him. “If you ever so much as look at him wrong again, I will fucking destroy you. Got it memorized?” Seifer began to reply when the stranger twisted his hand and pushed forward in a lightning-fast motion that drew a bellow of pain and rage from the large blonde as a sickeningly clear snap could be heard. The sound seemed to spur the other two into action, because Fuu rushed to where Seifer had fallen, holding his arm awkwardly as he writhed on the ground. Rai had moved as if to shove Roxas to the ground and out of his way, but the redhead was already in motion again, kicking out his foot with the speed of a striking snake to slam into Rai’s knee, which buckled grotesquely as he let out a strangled scream. Before Roxas could struggle free, he felt himself being dragged down by the stocky brunette, but just as suddenly, he wasn’t. His inexplicable savior had gripped his upper arm and tugged him free from Rai’s loosened hold with a gentleness that was surprising considering every other action he had taken in the alleyway. Their eyes locked for a spit second, and the panic and elation that Roxas found in them left him breathless; he couldn’t begin to explain the tears stinging at the corners of his eyes unless shock was finally settling in. Behind the man, Fuu stood and faced him with fists clenched at her sides.

“The debt won’t go away no matter what you do to us. It isn’t in our hands, we aren’t the big leagues.” Despite the violence surrounding her, Fuu still spoke as if she were bored beyond belief, and Roxas was silently impressed by her stoicism. The stranger, on the other hand, growled and spun around again, lanky frame taking a casual stance as he crossed his arms and stared her down.

“How much does he owe you?” the man asked silkily, jerking his head towards Roxas as he asked, and dawning awareness sparked in Fuu’s eyes.

“Nothing,” she answered simply, reaching a hand down towards Seifer and helping him to his feet. “Clearly, we picked the wrong friend to have this conversation with. Roxas won’t hear from us again.” Axel nodded, but his furious glare remained locked on them as they hurried over to Rai, who was oblivious to everything, still moaning quietly and clutching his leg. Fuu and Seifer both struggled to get him to his feet and began dragging him slowly down the alley to the opening at the end, but it wasn’t until they were a good twenty feet away that the redheaded man let out a huffed breath and turned back towards Roxas, rubbing the back of his head with an awkward smile and avoiding meeting the blonde’s eyes. Roxas WAS in shock at this point, unable to speak or move from where he had frozen when the man had released him, and his mind was stalled on processing the events that had unfolded.

“So, um,” the man began slowly, still focused on the grimy pavement of the alley they were in, and that was enough to restart his brain.

“Who are- I mean, HOW did you, um, why did...?” Roxas trailed off weakly, mind still reeling and uncertain of what questions he even needed to ask to get the information his brain was seeking. Everything was spinning, getting fuzzy, but that wasn’t right, and he desperately wanted to say something to his hero. “Uh, I- thanks?” His voice squeaked out, gratitude turning into bewilderment as the redhead’s face spun away to be replaced by pavement speeding towards him. The last thing he was aware of was strong, warm arms scooping him up before he met the ground, and feeling weightless as he floated upwards. A voice began speaking, but faded away from him quickly as darkness rushed in.

“What is it, oh shit, what’s-“


	3. Chapter Three

Another night, another bar, another town, another dead end. Axel finally gave up on the place and stared down into the last remaining traces of liquid in his glass, feeling especially hopeless. Years of time and energy poured into his search, yet it had earned him nothing. What if his soulmate had started going out on a different night, had a different philosophy or changed his routine or something. What if he had been in a town Axel had already tried, and had just not come out that particular week because he’d been ill or busy? Axel wondered about that last part frequently, especially as the years continued to pass. Maybe it all was a hallucination, despite what his heart and mind screamed at him. Maybe he had gotten brain damage, and he was crazy, and this was all a wild goose chase, and one day he would wake up and all the memories would be missing again as they had once been and he could go back to his old life and stop this pointless endeavor. Was it time to give up yet? He was getting tired of always feeling so lonely, so hollow.

“Good evening, Roxas. Missing the other three, I see.” The bartender’s voice was no louder than it had been all night, but the words rang in Axel’s ears as if they had been shouted. Heart pounding, knowing that the chances of it being HIS Roxas were slim to none, Axel’s head reflexively jerked up, eyes searching for the tiniest fraction of a second for the figure the bartender was facing before they landed on...

The world stopped for an infinite moment as Axel’s eyes fell upon the short, spiky-haired blonde leaning casually on the bar and giving the man behind it a blindingly beautiful smile. He was dressed in a pair of faded grey skinny jeans and a black hoodie, a black and white ring on each of the first two fingers of his left hand as well as a white and black checkered cuff on his wrist that peeked from beneath his sleeve, all over a pair of beat up Converse. The sound of his own pulse beating frantically in his ears drowned out their conversation and Axel gripped the bar stool beneath him until his knuckles were white just to make sure he was awake and the sight before him was real. He was there. Feet away. He was real. Right in front of him. Axel’s mind was reeling; he didn’t know what to do or say or if he should reveal himself at all. He’d dreamed of this scenario happening a thousand times and nothing had prepared him for the moment when it actually arrived. He needed someone else to talk him down from all the wild plans beginning to form in his mind and get a real plan for what to do. There was always, obviously, only one person he’d talk to. He couldn’t tear his eyes off the petite man a few seats away from him, but he didn’t need to look down to pull out his phone, unlock it, and click into his messages. After he did, however, he grudgingly forced his eyes to his phone, and once his stare was broken he was able to focus on the excitement that had his hands shaking, beginning a frantic barrage of texts to his former roommate.

You: oh my Gaia Demyx

You: I’m so happy I could fucking cry dude

You: he’s real

You: he’s here

You: I found him

As he expected, it only took a few moments for his best friend to reply. They still talked frequently, so it wasn’t like getting a text from him was a strange occurrence, but he knew the blonde would know what this would mean to him. Unfortunately, he also expected his skepticism.

Dem: Axel...where are you right now?

Dem: can you call me? I’m worried about you, man

Axel pushed back from the bar, giving one last lingering look at the short blonde who was now drinking a pink drink with his eyes closed and wearing a contented smile that tugged at Axel’s heart. As quickly as he could manage, he strode to the front door, muttering that he would return to the doorman as he fled to the other side of the street. His phone was already to his ear, listening to it ring for Demyx, before he made it to the side of a building and leaned against it while lighting himself a cigarette. As soon as he heard Demyx’s hesitant, wary greeting, he was off.

“Demyx, man, I can’t even..I found him. After all this time. I don’t even know what to do or say or if I should just-“ but the blonde of the other end of the line cut him off.

“Axe, dude. I’m...worried about you. Are you sure you’re not just drunk or tired or whatever? Like could you have mistaken someone else for this fantasy soulmate guy? Because I gotta be honest, I’ve been supporting you afar through this whole thing, but I don’t want you getting arrested for- Hey, Zexy wants to talk to you.” Axel huffed as he heard the phone being passed off. He knew no one would believe him, no one believed him about the memories in the first place. Those he had even bothered to confess about them to, at least. He knew how crazy the whole thing was, how it sounded to people. Still, he just wanted them to skip the disbelief and HELP him, because every fiber of his being was screaming at him to get back to the bar and the man who was already the center of his world.

“Axel?” Zexion’s cool, patient tone sounded especially clinical at the moment, and the redhead hummed a response as he braced himself for what was sure to be a rudimentary evaluation. “Have you had more than three drinks this evening? Including any other substances,” he asked, and Axel could picture his scrutinizing stare.

“Nope,” he sighed, and Zexion pressed on.

“Have you been sleeping and eating regularly? Thinking clearly?” Axel rolled his eyes to himself, beginning to tap an impatient staccato beat with his foot.

“Yes, mom. No psychotic breaks, no hallucinations, nothing to suggest I’ve finally just snapped. I’m completely serious and just as amazed that I could be right as you guys, now can we PLEASE get to the part where you tell me what to do so I don’t scare him off?” He groaned loudly, throwing his head back and staring desperately into the night sky. “Can’t really just walk up to the guy and be like, ‘hey, you don’t know me but you’re my soul mate, come away with me,’ now can I?” Zexion snorted, which was as close to laughter as Axel figured he was going to get, before he heard Demyx rejoin the conversation; clearly he’d been put on speaker.

“Dude, gimme a break, you’d be worried too if things were the other way around. So let’s just go with you not having an episode...you found him? What did you say?” Axel moaned, feeling pretty pathetic, and grabbed the hair near his temple desperately.

“Nothing, Dem, I don’t know what to do. Should I even introduce myself? Should I wait til next week and plan it all out? Will I miss my chance?” Surprisingly, it was Zexion who answered him.

“If you leave there without at least making some sort of contact, what will it do to your state of mind if you don’t see him next week?” The thought alone almost brought him to his knees; no, his mind would not survive something like that, he would drive himself mad wondering if he’d imagined him all along, and if he’d finally lost touch with reality. His silence seemed to mean enough to the slate-haired man on the phone, who continued gently. “There’s one question answered. What’s the next one?”

“What do I do?” Axel pled, beginning to pace in a tight line back and forth along the sidewalk. Pedestrians were giving his large form a wide berth and shooting him angry or sympathetic glances, but he paid them all no mind. “I don’t want to sound crazy and scare him away, but I can’t...he HAS to...I...don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous or scared or intimidated in my entire life.” Demyx laughed loudly over the line, and Axel growled.

“My man, you’ve never had trouble on that front. What’s so different now?” the blonde breezed, still chuckling, but Axel’s retort was icy.

“Everything is. Then, I had nothing to lose; now, I have the ONLY thing to lose,” he muttered, despairing again for a second before snapping back. “So how do I introduce myself in a way that gets him to ask me to stay forever?” Zexion sighed at him dramaticism, but Demyx has become sympathetic.

“You at a bar? Buy him a drink, Axe! Or, my personal favorite pickup move you had was that one where you paid off a few of the guys and had them carry you in while everyone was-“ Zexion interrupted his boyfriend’s reminiscing quickly.

“I don’t think Axel’s looking for something quite so...gaudy,” he murmured, causing Demyx to him in agreement and go quiet. “The drink wasn’t a bad idea, though, Axel. Or, if you still want to give yourself time to plan, just go introduce yourself, give him your number, and then leave. That would put the action into his hands.” Zexion’s idea sounded safe, and much less intimidating...if nothing else, it would work as a fallback plan.

“Thanks, Zex, that actually...I think I might do that. I’ll text you guys later, okay?” Now that he was less intimidated, he was absolutely frantic to have the blonde back in his sights.

“Sure, Axe. Let us know how it goes,” Demyx agreed, but Zexion sounded concerned again before he hung up the phone.

“Be safe, Axel.” Once the line was dead, Axel pocketed his device and used his lengthy gait to reach the bar again in a matter of strides. He brushed past the man at the door and every person who stood between him and the bar, arriving at his former position to find...nothing but a crowd of blank faces. The blonde was nowhere to be seen. He looked around frantically, scanning booths and floor to find...more nothing. It was as if...as if he’d been so desperate, he’d imagined finding his soulmate, because his mind had finally snapped. Crushing the thought angrily the second it formed, Axel jumped to his feet, about to walk the room to inspect its occupants more closely, when he remembered the bathrooms; surely the blonde was in there? He craned his head in search of their location and spotted them just as a small party was descending the stairs that ended in the same minuscule hallway. He snarled impatiently, slowly starting to head in that direction anyway when the asshole-looking blonde in front turned and Axel caught the briefest glimpse of the petite blue-eyed blonde behind him before another, massively-muscled man stepped down, effectively blocking Roxas from sight. The look of desperation on his face sent Axel into a spiraling rage, and it took every ounce of willpower he had to keep himself from charging across the room at them. As it was, he quickly slunk forward in time for a small, pale blue haired female who brought up the rear of the party to step down and follow the men. Less than ten feet behind her and scrambling to come up with a plan of action while simultaneously wondering if he should listen instead to gauge what was happening, he heard a soft, dull thud followed by a huff of air and a quiet, pained grunt; someone had just been hit, and the solid idea of who the target had been had Axel seeing red. A strangled sound escaped him as he took the step around the corner to confront them, only to catch a flash of blue hair disappearing out the emergency exit. He stopped himself from barreling after them; he needed to think. If any of them were armed, walking out that door would almost assuredly lead to a quick end for him. He assumed it led to an alley behind the building, probably shared with all the other shops in this strip. It would be difficult to sneak up in them coming from the end of the alley, but the much safer option, and he knew the clock was ticking on the other side of the door; without wasting another second, he spun on his heel and dashed out of the bar. As soon as he was outside, he whipped his head to either side, looking down the strip to see what- there. Two doors down was a coffee shop that was still open at this time of night. He dashed down the pavement, only slowing slightly as he burst into the warm, quiet interior and headed straight for the back. Chances were, this place would have a similar layout to the bar, which would mean that their emergency exit would be located in a similar alcove; his guess, luckily, turned out to be accurate. The protests from the shop owners didn’t even register as he went straight for the door and pushed the escape bar down as quietly as he could manage, slipping out of the narrowest opening possible and silently easing it shut behind himself. He then flattened himself to the wall and crept forward, closing in on his prey, whose words began floating back to him the closer he drew.

“I don’t...to waste...you’re nothing...too small to really have any fun with, anyway.” The leader of the group, the one who’d been speaking, turned around facing the direction Axel was approaching from, and despite the growing rage the redhead felt upon hearing bits of what the man had been saying, he was forced to freeze and wait in the shadows or reveal his position. To his surprise, especially given that if Axel were reading the situation correctly, Roxas was not here by choice, it was the blonde who spoke next, his glorious voice ringing through the sudden quiet as sweet as honey.

“You know, I hear the same thing about you, Seifer,” the blonde crooned, and it took Axel a second to put it together; once he had, he had to work hard to keep himself from roaring with laughter. The snarky attitude on top of how irresistible he looked made Axel certain he would have pursued the blonde under any circumstances, memories or no. The leader of the trio, however, was clearly not as amused. Axel could see an eye twitch from his place several feet away before the larger blonde spun around to look at Roxas, barking at the brunette, “Hold him.” The muscular man did as he was bid, easily pulling Roxas’s arms tightly behind him despite the smaller figure beginning to struggle in his grip.

“You’re going to regret that,” the asshole leader seethed, approaching his blonde with clear intent to harm, and all the control he’d had snapped in an instant. Like a fighting dog released from it’s handler, he bounded forward with singleminded focus, grabbing an exposed forearm as it carried a punch towards the pinned, struggling Roxas, who shut his eyes and turned his head to brace for impact. He hadn’t seen Axel; for the best, Axel decided as burning fury rolled through him.

“Don’t you even fucking think about it,” his voice hissed through bared teeth, snarling threateningly at the attacker. Roxas was already his, had been for as long as his memories stretched back for in his heart, and this fucking wannabe thug was gonna learn real quick that no one messed with Axel. No one on this planet was going to lay a finger on the little blonde unless he asked them to now that Axel had found him. “If you ever so much as look at him wrong again, I will fucking destroy you. Got it memorized?” The idiot in his hold looked like he was about to say something, but Axel was done listening before the words had a chance to form. In a quick, practiced motion born of wealthy parents, a bored young Axel, and several forms of martial arts and combat training classes, the redhead twisted his hand while shoving it forward sharply and earned a loud snap and a roar from the leader. He was moving again without missing a beat, as he’d seen the musclehead about to shove Roxas away to ready for a fight; he wasn’t going to let Roxas take any further mistreatment from these guys, however. Fast as lightning, he let another reflexive hit fly, kicking out at the brunette’s knee and missing the satisfying sight of the strike hitting home that would match the scream piercing the air as he instead focused on keeping Roxas upright. Trying to be gentle, he gripped the blonde’s upper arm and a warm feeling flooded his chest as he tugged Roxas lightly away from his collapsing captor. Was he hurt already? Was his attempt at a rescue making things worse? It was hard to completely focus on the blind panic while his heart was bursting with joy at having the blonde in arm’s reach. Wonderfully deep, sparkling blue eyes locked with his and the world stopped spinning as he gazed into them, but the sight of tears forming in their corners shook all other thoughts from his head. Before he could voice his concern, the blue-haired girl spoke up behind him, causing him to turn; he’d almost forgotten all about the three for a moment, so lost was he to the blonde’s stare.

“The debt won’t go away no matter what you do to us. It isn’t in our hands, we aren’t the big leagues.” The girl’s tone was one of exceptional boredom, but her clenched fists and rigid posture gave her away. He growled at her, crossing his arms over his chest but relaxing his stance to show he wouldn’t strike her down unless she made it necessary. A debt? Blondie was getting shaken down right now? He could pay them off if he had to, but...he definitely hadn’t expected that.

“How much does he owe you?” he purred dangerously, inclining his head towards Roxas quickly in point. His expression made it clear that any threat, implied or otherwise, to the blonde was going to have to make it through him first. He saw a spark in her eyes as she took in the words and the meaning behind them, then she coolly began helping her incapacitated leader to his feet.

“Nothing. Clearly, we picked the wrong friend to have this conversation with. Roxas won’t hear from us again.” Ah. Not his debt, but a friend’s. That made much more sense to him, at least from everything he had stored away in his head. He nodded, but the new knowledge made his fury at the violence they had used against his Roxas grow exponentially while he also longed to shield the smaller man from more, so he settled for glaring hatefully after the small party as they beat a slow retreat. After a long pause in which he struggled to get his emotions in check, Axel finally huffed out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and at long last, let himself turn to face Roxas. This was about as far from what he had planned as possible, and now that the adrenaline and panic was wearing off, an awkward, nervous feeling took hold. He rubbed the back of his head and smiled somewhat sheepishly, trying to keep his eyes off the blonde. The poor guy was probably just as freaked out by him as he was the others, and it wouldn’t help anything if Axel just stood there staring at him like an idiot. He had to say SOMETHING, though, for Gaia’s sake! “So, um,” he started, unsure of where his sentence was going, but Roxas unknowingly saved him, interrupting as if the words had opened a floodgate within him.

“Who are- I mean, HOW did you, um, why did...?” Roxas trailed off weakly, and Axel lifted his gaze to look at his little blonde. The smaller man was so pale he was almost sickly green, swaying slightly, and appeared to be struggling to form words. Was he in shock? “Uh, I- thanks?” Roxas managed faintly before he suddenly collapsed, Axel just barely catching him in time to keep him from planting himself face first onto the pavement. He scooped the limp form into his arms, cradling him to his chest and doing his best to check him for obvious signs of injury. Had those goons hurt him before Axel had made it there?

“What is it, oh shit, what’s wrong?” he questioned desperately, but the blonde in his arms was completely out. What to do NOW? They were alone in a darkened alleyway, the smaller man was passed out, and Axel was unfamiliar with the area so he didn’t even know what sort of places were around them. He supposed he would go in the direction of his car and stop if he found a bench or seating place before then. Axel set off at an ambling gait, savoring the time he was getting with Roxas snuggled into his chest and wondering if he would get the chance to do this again. Would Roxas be grateful for a hero, or frightened by a stranger who appeared out of nowhere and violently attacked people? He...may have fucked everything up. As he rounded the corner that brought them out of the alley, he gratefully spotted a bench, half hidden in shadows and out of the evening foot traffic. No sooner had he delicately set the blonde down, keeping Roxas supported with an arm around the waist and pillowing soft blonde spikes with a shoulder, he whipped out his phone to text Demyx with his free hand.

You: yo Dem

You: shit has gone down. You guys srsly aren’t going to believe me. I wouldn’t believe me

You: since we talked, I’ve beaten the shit outta some thugs in an alley and rescued him, and now have him here unconscious and like, put aside how crazy I sound rn. Wtf do I DO??

He thought about it for a second, and then switched into his phone’s camera. If Demyx had gone off the rails, gone missing for YEARS, then one day suddenly said he found the person who was probably made up in his head, he’d think his friend had completely snapped. If Demyx had sent him a story like THAT, he’d be thinking about seeking professional help for the guy. A picture would prove, if nothing else, that he wasn’t hallucinating and that there was a small, unconscious blonde leaning on him. He took it from his own perspective, showing a view of a blonde head resting on his shoulder, and sent it off after his messages. Not a minute later, his phone began to buzz, vibrating in his hand as Demyx’s call came through. Axel rolled his eyes, declined the call, and then went back to his texts.

You: bro. He’s ptfo I cant talk on the phone

Dem: WHO IS THAT??

Dem: OMG AXEL

Dem: what’s going on??

You: that’s...Roxas. The guy I’ve been looking for

You: caught a few lowlifes dragging him into an alley and..unleashed. He passed out after everything was over. Shock maybe? Idk and idk what to do rn either

You: thoughts? Zexion’s thoughts?

Dem: zexys going full on paramedic mode, wants you to run like a diagnostic examination, safe to say you can’t/won’t rn?

You: not happening Zex, think how creepy I’d seem if he woke up to me feeling all over him

You: no visible injuries and he was only out of my sight for a short period of time

Dem: what if he doesn’t come to soon and like sleeps all night??

Dem: oh shit yeah that’s why you’re texting

Dem: uh...

Sudden movement, slight stirring, came from his side and Axel looked down to see the blonde beginning to shift. Hurriedly, he sent off one more message before he locked his phone and shoved it into his pocket, watching Roxas intently as his eyes slowly blinked open.

You: he’s coming around g2g


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!
> 
> To address a few things really quickly;
> 
> I’m not giving up on any of these stories, have no fear lovely readers! I’m wrapping up my nearly-complete main story currently, which is why my updates here and on Discord Required are a little slow.
> 
> On that note, look for my first ever FanFic and the first work I’ve completed in like a decade to be posted soon!
> 
> Next, I am just figuring out how to use the site, so please please don’t be disheartened by me not responding to comments and things yet- when I’m familiar with everything I’ll start being more interactive. :)
> 
> Finally, I saw the love here so I busted out this chapter, but Discord Required seems to be the current crowd favorite, so the next update will probably be there. Don’t agree? Give this story some love, or feedback (as this is just the first draft WIP and could use it!), or whatever you feel like.
> 
> You are all wonderful, and as always, thanks for reading. <3

A warm, somewhat spicy smell was the first thing Roxas became aware of when he began to drift back to consciousness. It was nice, comforting despite its unfamiliarity, and stirred something inside him that drew him more firmly towards awareness as he tried to place its source. Smooth, soft, yet firm material was supporting his head and the right side of his body...was it leather? His eyelids fluttered momentarily as he willed them to open, and when they finally did they met with beautiful, deep pools of acidic green. They weren’t shocking, though; Roxas was drawn in to them, wanting to drown himself in those eyes. Where had he seen eyes like that? The stranger, the one who...oh. Memories flooded his dragging mind, bringing him back through running into Seifer and his buddies at the bar and them forcing him into the alley. Hayner’s debt prickled at him before the completely unexpected rescue effectively swept it from his mind again. He remembered trying to put words together to thank the redhead afterwards, but that was where his memories failed him; he must have passed out. Gaia, how fucking embarrassing. Yet here he was, leaned up against the man on a bench just off from a public, well-lit street, with those eyes searching his intently again and leaving him feeling like he wasn’t providing the right answer to an unknown question. He broke the stare first, ducking his head bashfully as he leaned back and off of the stranger, chuckling weakly as he did so.  
“Um...hey,” he managed, trying to piece together something to say that wouldn’t make him sound like an idiot. This guy probably thought he was pathetic, fainting right after the redhead saved him from any real injury and then staring like this upon waking, but he couldn’t help it. The man was gorgeous; irresistible eyes were set in a pale, angular face which was surrounded by thick, deep red spikes of hair that fell to his shoulders. The small half-smile that was blooming on his very tempting lips was brilliant, and watching those lips move was mesmerizing.  
“Hey Blondie, you feeling okay?” the man asked in a low, soft voice, the words as smooth as velvet and the timbre delightfully warm and pleasant. He could listen to the redhead talk endlessly, but he had stopped...waiting on a reply, obviously. Roxas shook himself mentally, trying to get his shit together.  
“Sorta. My head’s still trying to catch back up, sorry,” he laughed, hoping that would help excuse his behavior. The other man nodded, but didn’t look away from Roxas, still looking concerned.  
“Did those fuckers do too much damage before I stepped in?” the redhead asked tightly, eyes narrowing as the hand Roxas could see in his lap curled into a fist. The blonde shook his head quickly, but instantly regretted it as his head swam and he let out a soft, involuntary moan. “Hey, do I need to take you to like, a hospital?” The concern bleeding into the man’s tone was sweet, endearing, and Roxas wanted to die of embarrassment at this point. He had the Gaia-sent luck to have a hot stranger rescue him from harm and he was here fucking it all up with his ridiculous fainting and sudden inability to speak coherently. He held up a hand to still the redhead’s anxiously fluttering hands.  
“No, I’m fine, just a little woozy. Give me another minute and I’ll be good.” He swallowed hard as his eyes met the brilliantly green ones of the stranger beside him, and he forced what he hoped would pass as a casual smile. “You made one hell of an entrance, but I didn’t quite catch your name.” The man stared at him blankly for a split second before a huge grin spread attractively across his features and he chuckled.  
“Name’s Axel,” he said smoothly, tapping two fingers to his temple as he spoke. Even this guy’s NAME was fucking hot; was Roxas dreaming? Everything that had happened since he’d stormed out of his house earlier was so fantastically bizarre, it made him feel like some sort of Alice in Wonderland. “If I heard correctly, yours is Roxas?” The man’s question snapped him out of his derailing train of thought, and he let out a surprised laugh; of course sexy hipster Prince Charming would remember his name being mentioned in passing in the middle of a dramatic rescue. Had his drink been spiked? No way this guy was for real.  
“Yeah, it is,” he heard himself say faintly, and then gave one more attempt at redeeming his image in the redhead’s eyes. “So, uh, it’s still relatively early in the evening. Can I buy you a drink and say thanks, or would you prefer I just get out of your hair? I really do appreciate you stepping in back there.” A smirk settled on Axel’s lips after a brief look of surprised pleasure flashed in those brilliantly green eyes.  
“I think the ‘thanks’ is thanks enough, shortie,” he nearly purred, eyes drifting to the blonde’s lips as he spoke. “But how about you let me buy YOU a drink and you can tell me about the wonderful friend who almost got you jumped.” Roxas rolled his eyes dramatically, pushing himself to his feet and then turning to strike a playfully stern stance before the redhead.  
“No way you rescue me AND pay for drinks,” the blonde said firmly, tone marred by the grin dominating his features. Axel was playing along. The redhead was sending pretty clear signs of interest, and the dude had just rescued him, for Gaia’s sake. Besides, when was the last time he’d been with someone, anyway? He was totally gonna go for it. Not like throw himself at the guy, but at least...also express interest. “You can’t go around being heroic, attractive, AND generous. You’ll break some poor guy’s heart.” Axel’s eyes sharpened at the words, and a glowing, almost triumphant smile lit his face, which sent Roxas’s mind racing to thoughts of what those lips might feel like before he could stop himself.  
“If it helps ease some concern, I don’t make a habit of all this. I only bring out the big guns under special circumstances,” the taller man purred as he stood in a quick, sinuous movement that put him scant inches away from the blonde. Roxas felt his stomach muscles tighten reflexively as he was struck by just how vast their height difference was when he was forced to tilt his head back dramatically to meet laughing green eyes. “You think I’m attractive?” Roxas felt a faint blush begin to creep across his cheeks at being called out on it, but damnit, the guy was HOT. Judging by the cocky smile and expectant look he was giving Roxas, he knew he was, too. However, he only let the question hang in the air for the briefest of seconds before he gave Roxas a sudden, much more intense look, something burning in his eyes. It was gone as quickly appeared, Axel chasing it away with a light laugh. “Well, lucky me, because you are exactly my type, Roxas,” his words flowed smoothly, and Roxas felt his mouth go dry. Thanking Gaia and everything else he could think of who could have possibly sent this impossibly perfect person his way, Roxas nodded his head towards the illumination of the street behind them.  
“You have a place in mind?” the smaller man asked, still not knowing where Axel had appeared from. The redhead shook his head with a small chuckle.  
“New in town,” he supplied in a teasing voice. “So new, in fact, you and your ‘friends’ are the first people I’ve met.” Roxas shook his head with an answering smile. Talk about good timing.  
“I’m gonna drag you to my usual place, then. Hopefully you got rid of all the shady thugs there,” he joked back, and the pair began to make their way towards The Snuggly Duckling.

“No!” Roxas exclaimed, a horrified expression plastered across his face. Axel laughed loudly, a devious twinkle in his eyes.  
“Yep. All thirty six frogs, in his pants. The idiot got caught, though, by a guy who was working in the lab. It was another student, but he worked in the labs like all the time and took everything super seriously.” Roxas shook his head back and forth slowly, still trying to rid his mind of the idea of someone stuffing their pants with live frogs. “The guy says he’s going to call for campus security and have him arrested for compromising all of their hard work, and Demyx breaks down crying about how he won’t let them kill all the frogs. The guy tries to reason with him about how the lives of those frogs would benefit countless future frogs, but Demyx is just desperate and hysterical at this point, and goes on a surprisingly well-informed rant about how introducing those thirty six frogs to the current local ecosystem would benefit several different species and two types of plants. Long story short, that’s how my best friend met the love of his life.” Axel had a dreamy, faraway look in his eyes as he finished his story, and Roxas couldn’t help but stare, drinking in every gorgeous detail of the man across from him in their booth. The way his brilliantly red hair swept back from his face in spikes that looked firm and sharp despite moving as if soft and fluffy. The way he gestured often when he spoke, and his large yet thin wrists and hands kept reminding Roxas of a pianist’s or a guitarist’s and sending little shivers of heat into his fluttering stomach. The way those sparkling emerald eyes would catch his often and hold him captive, seeming to drink him in.  
Their conversation had been playful, fun, and easy right from the beginning; there was constant teasing that never went too far, lots of innuendos and jokes and laughter, stories that may not have been shared normally but were told without hesitation. Their casual familiarity spoke of years of close friendship rather than hours of being acquainted, and Roxas found himself wondering repeatedly if this was all too good to be true. Maybe it was his cynical nature, but where was the catch? However, by drink number two he had forgotten to worry about things like that because Axel had started showing off some of his tattoos other than the two elongated, upside-down purple teardrops beneath his eyes, and Roxas was having to struggle hard to remind himself that they were in public and had only just met. By drink number three, Axel’s broad hands had been drifting closer and closer to where Roxas’s laid on the table as he spoke until the story ended and the blonde realized that at some point the redhead had laid a hand over his. Now his eyes were unable to move away from the sight of those long, slender fingers tracing lightly along the back of his hand. The lazy, random motions sent sparks shooting through his veins before they settled into a blush burning across his cheeks. As if in a trance, he slowly flipped his hand over and threaded his fingers through the larger ones, stilling their motion while holding them loosely. Axel looked back to him, eyes questioning and intense as he waited for Roxas to find his voice.  
“So, uh, new in town? What brings you out here?” Roxas stumbled over the conversation change, unable to gather the courage to just bluntly ask Axel if he wanted to come back home with him. The new direction obvious took Axel by surprise, too, because he stumbled over his reply.  
“Oh, uh, I came because...school. I was looking into transferring my credits and finishing up my degree here.” Roxas leaned forward interestedly. Axel might be staying around for a while, then?  
“Really? I live right by campus. Right down the road, actually.” A sly smile slid over his face as his blurry mind finally found the opportunity it had been looking for. “If you don’t already have a place picked out, you could come home with me.” A huge, sexy as fuck smirk formed on Axel’s lips and the fingers around Roxas’s twitched, holding his tighter. He proved himself to be a gentleman yet again, though, giving him a piercing look that all but commanded his honesty.  
“You sure about that, shortie? Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing in this world that I’d rather do than follow you home, but I want to make sure you’re not offering because you feel obligated or anything.” It was Roxas’s turn to smirk at him, and his only response was to grab his drink and throw back the remainder of its contents, downing them in one quick drink.  
“I dunno about you, Axe, but I’m about ready to get out of here,” Roxas giggled, tugging playfully at their still-intwined fingers as he slid out of his seat. “I’ve got roommates, but with any luck they’ll still be at the beach when we get there.”


	5. Chapter Five

Axel had no words to describe how it felt to leave that bar following Roxas to his house. It was as if his entire life were a jigsaw puzzle he had been working on, and Roxas was a fist slamming down on the table, making all the pieces jump and then miraculously fall perfectly into place. He hadn’t really had to work at convincing the petite blonde that he’d had good intentions when he brutally incapacitated people in an alley; Roxas seemed to have accepted that as a given, and was treating him like a knight in shining armor who’d come to save the day. Axel had been unable to help himself from flirting shamelessly, their conversation had been flowing so easily, but Roxas had reciprocated and returned his every line. The blonde was funny, he was kind, he was snarky and sarcastic but bubbly and animated. When he’d finally covered Roxas‘ hand with one of his own, the smooth, warm texture of the skin beneath it had sent a wave of unbridled joy through him, and when the blonde had captured his fingers and held them, Axel had been forced to remind himself to breathe. He’d never been this worked up over tiny gestures of interest from another, even when he’d been a kid and that sort of thing was new and exciting. 

Now, walking down a dark sidewalk with an arm wrapped around Roxas as they headed towards the blonde’s home, Axel was overwhelmed by the barrage of emotions warring inside of him. A sense of peace at the end of o very long search. Hope and anticipation for how things could be now that he’d found the blonde. Nervousness and crushing anxiety that he could do something stupid and ruin his chance. Elation at how the blonde seemed to want him, and was enjoying his presence. Desperate, all-encompassing desire for the smaller man. The list went on. He knew he was being quiet, thoughtful, but he couldn’t bring himself to mar the perfection of the moment with words, and Roxas didn’t seem to mind. He’d begun humming something, and as Axel listened, he couldn’t contain the burst of laughter that erupted when recognition dawned. 

“Oh Roxy. Really?” he chuckled, and watched Roxas go bright red. 

“You know that song?” he nearly gasped, clearly hoping that Axel was mistaken, but the guilty chagrin that dawned on his face next acknowledged that the redhead was right. 

“The Starting Line. Bedroom Talk, if I’m not mistaken. Although...maybe I’m misreading things, but wouldn’t it be more appropriate if I were the one who was taking the chorus...?” Axel grinned wolfishly as Roxas turned scarlet, but threw him a look that sent a pulse of heat straight through the redhead. He tapped his chin as if thinking hard, and unwound his arm from Axel’s waist so he could take a sidestep and exaggeratedly scan his eyes up and down the redhead. 

“Hmm...maybe if you’re very, very good,” the blonde purred, putting a hand on his hip and strutting forward again. In a single, fluid leap, Axel had caught him; arms wrapped around the blonde’s waist from behind and lifted him up until his feet were a good foot off the ground and Axel’s lips were grazing his ear. 

“What if I’m not?” Axel whispered before letting the tip of his tongue delicately trace the curving edge of the ear beneath it. “I’ve always been better at being bad.” He could feel Roxas’s breathing catch as a shudder went through him, but then the blonde let out a breathless laugh. 

“Let me down so I can drag you to my house,” he demanded, and Axel made a show of releasing him at once. Roxas grabbed his hand and tugged him forward another two houses and then suddenly up a small path to the left. The house before them was a small, squat, sunshine yellow monstrosity that Axel immediately loved, but Roxas gave him no time to stop and take it in; he was still tugging the redhead along the path and then through a hastily unlocked front door. All the lights inside were off, leaving Axel to blindly stumble along after his blonde, but he took it as a good sign; the roommates Roxas had mentioned clearly weren’t home. His eyes adjusted to the shadows quickly, and he stopped, pulling Roxas back by their still-linked hands. “Wha-?” Roxas began to ask as he turned, but Axel cut him off with a tug that brought the blonde thudding against his chest. Unable to hold back for one more second, Axel leaned down and gently captured soft, pink lips in a kiss. 

It was meant to be quick and sweet, a small taste to tide him over. What he hadn’t taken into consideration was the reaction he would have, or how Roxas would respond. The second their lips met, it was as if a fire had exploded to life beneath his skin, raging to an inferno in a fraction of a second. Roxas gasped faintly, parting his lips with the sound, and there was no thought as Axel deepened their kiss, tracing his tongue along a full lower lip before slipping past and delving inside. The redhead explored new yet somehow familiar territory, tasting and dominating, using his tongue to stroke Roxas’s and coax him into doing some exploring of his own. The blonde moaned, sound echoing straight through Axel as he dove into his own ministrations, tongue dancing and writhing against the taller man’s. Without conscious intent, Axel felt himself walking them backwards until he had the blonde’s back pressed firmly against a wall, and took still another step forward. With his chest against the blonde’s and his hips holding Roxas’s in place, he wound fingers through soft, short spikes and tugged gently, drawing the smaller man’s head back and increasing the rhythm of their motions. Hands on his chest began to move, one sliding with purpose deep into his thick, spiky locks, while the other drifted downward agonizingly slowly as if sinking through a dense liquid. Axel was on fire. Everything was too much yet not enough, was desperately hurried yet painfully steady, was perfect and right and incredible and- 

The front door slammed back on its hinges with a deafening bang, making the pair of them nearly jump out of their skin and causing Roxas to let out an undignified yelp. Before either of them could react further, multiple forms dashed through the now open doorway, and Axel would have rolled his eyes if he wasn’t already tensing himself defensively in front of the blonde. What the fuck was going on with this kid? Axel began to turn, pulling away from Roxas to fully face their attackers, but Roxas spoke up from behind him at the same time that he was blinded by a sudden, intense flood of light. 

“What in the absolute fuck do you guys think- AHH OHMYGAIA whyyy?” His angry question was replaced by a pained yell as the same lights hit him, and he began rubbing at his eyes furiously so he could glare at the now-illuminated figures. There was a cocky-looking dirty blonde, who had his hands at his hips and was wearing a shit-eating grin, presumably at having caught Roxas underneath Axel. Behind him was a petite brunette girl with her hands clasped over her mouth, wearing a stricken expression. Closest to the door was a pudgy guy with spiky black hair pushed out of his face with a headband, who was bent over panting to catch his breath. 

“Roxas,” the girl gasped out as she regained her composure, “good Gaia are we glad you’re here.” The darker haired male nodded and straightened up, eyes sweeping over Axel before landing on Roxas. 

“Sorry to uh...well, we were more just thinking about finding you, not what you might be- um,” the man stammered, rubbing a hand awkwardly over the back of his head. By this point, Axel straightened out of his tensed position and crossed his arms across his chest, leaning against the wall to watch the show; he felt it was safe to assume these were the roommates. 

“I hate you all so, so very much,” Roxas growled, stepping back into the living room they had passed through. “Why were you searching for me? You knew where I was.” 

“Nevermind that,” the other blonde smirked, gesturing towards Axel. “Were we what was throwing your game this whole time?” Roxas’s face burned again, and Axel grinned, offering a two-fingered salute. The brunette girl smacked the taller blonde on the arm with a frown. 

“Shut it, Hayner, this is still all your fault.” He had the decency to look embarrassed at her words, and looked away with a grimace. 

“We thought you might be...in trouble,” the pudgy guy hedged, glancing from Roxas to Axel to the guy Hayner, and Axel got it. 

“He WAS is trouble. Thanks for that, man,” he said with a dark laugh and a nod towards Hayner, who shot him a glare. Roxas sighed loudly, stepping between the two and breaking their sights. 

“Alright, alright, lets get this all straightened out. Axel, these are my roommates. That’s Pence,” he pointed out the dark haired man, who gave a grin and a small wave. “Olette,” was directed at the girl, who beamed. “And Hayner, the guy who got me jumped.” At that, Olette gasped again, while Pence and Hayner both whipped surprised and questioning faces towards Roxas. He ignored all of them, continuing without pause. “Guys, this is Axel, the gallant and handsome reason you’re not scraping pieces of me off the alley behind the bar.” Pence offered a fist and Axel bumped it lightly with his own, while Hayner looked at him like he was sizing Axel up for the first time. Olette had a confused little frown clouding her face, however. “Roxas, what happened? We were all at the beach and this idiot finally told us people might be looking for him and we dashed back to try to find you.” Roxas locked eyes with Axel over his shoulder with an apologetic look. “Mind a quick detour?”


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO, lovely readers ❤️
> 
> I’m sorry for the abrupt, extended absence, I had some things come up in real life and haven’t been able to make writing a priority, but I am back 😅🤗
> 
> Updates are coming for everything, so be ready! I will hopefully be right back to the frequent updates on all three (There’s An App For That, Discord Required, and Got It Memorized?, if any of you are enjoying this but have yet to stumble across the other two 😜).
> 
> Thank you for your patience with me! 😅
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.

The whole time he was catching his friends up with what had happened to him, Roxas was surreptitiously watching Axel. When he had stopped speaking and Hayner was trying to explain himself to them, he was mentally undressing the redhead in anticipation of the real thing. When someone called his name a few times to get his attention, he was deciding exactly what he planned to do to Axel once he’d- oh shit. 

“Um, what?” Roxas asked blankly, looking around for the source of his name. Olette rolled her eyes and elbowed Pence playfully. 

“Maybe you should try to start important roommate discussions tomorrow, Pence. I think we’ve intruded long enough,” she whispered loudly, making Hayner laugh out loud and Roxas blush furiously. The dark-haired man threw up his hands in exaggerated hopelessness. 

“Fine! Fine. Loud movie night in my room for the rest of us?” Pence asked, turning pointedly away from Roxas. Olette threw him a quick wink, made a shooing gesture at the pair of them, and then turned back to Pence and Hayner. 

“You mean the living room? You big dork,” she teased, doing her best to pretend Roxas and Axel weren’t there. Roxas had already caught on and was on his feet in a second, gently taking Axel’s hand and tugging him to lead him down the hall again. 

“Sorry about that,” he said softly as he pulled Axel along to the last door on the right. “They mean well. Mostly.” Axel laughed quietly, trailing the fingertips of his free hand up Roxas’s spine as they paused for the blonde to open his door. 

“I like Olette. She’s on my side,” Axel teased, following behind Roxas closely when he stepped through the doorway. A twinge of embarrassment passed through the blonde briefly; he hadn’t been planning on company, and his room wasn’t tidy by any stretch of the imagination at present. Axel gave the shorter man little time to worry, however, as he pushed the door closed behind himself and immediately was as Roxas’s back, kissing and nibbling at the blonde’s neck as his hands found the hem of his sweater and began to tug it up. A shiver of anticipation went through him before the garment was tossed carelessly away and the redhead spun him around, getting his shirt off in a quick motion and leaving his chest exposed to the cool air. Axel’s eyes slid over him appreciatively and he hummed low in his throat as he reclaimed the inches between them, one hand going to Roxas’s hip and drawing him closer while his other cradled the side of the blonde’s face as if he were made of glass. Roxas was eagerly anticipating those lips on his, but Axel paused, still just looking down on him with a beautiful but almost haunted look on his face, his smile making Roxas suddenly feel like hugging the taller man. 

“Axel?” he called softly, but the redhead just shook his head slowly. 

“You’re breathtaking,” was all the redhead said before his mood seemed to shift mercurially and he threw himself into the expected kiss. 

Just like before when Axel had kissed him in the hallway, Roxas felt himself explode to life under those lips. Axel’s mouth was hot and inviting and took control of their motions in a way that left his head reeling. Those large hands left him burning, feeling like he could combust at any moment, and Axel’s grip on him screamed of desperate need and total adoration. Roxas was no virgin, but he felt more intimate simply kissing this one-night stand than he ever had in a relationship, and it was giving him the feeling of the ground crumbling from beneath him. Axel didn’t stop there, though; the hand holding the blonde’s hips in place began to wander, tracing sensitive skin delicately as it moved steadily around to the button of his jeans and he thumbed it open, leaving Roxas both impressed and intimidated. When that hand began tugging his zipper down with teasing slowness, he wound his hands into red spikes of hair and tugged gently, breaking their kiss but leaving their faces just inches apart. 

“Bed?” he asked breathlessly, moving his own hands down to begin pulling at Axel’s shirt, which the redhead willingly shrugged out of. Then, in a quick, sudden movement, he pulled Roxas up into his arms and carried him over to the bed before the blonde could protest. 

“Bed,” Axel smirked, finishing his task of unzipping Roxas’s pants and sinking to the floor beside the bed as he pulled the skinny jeans off the blonde. Roxas was straining against the thin material of his boxers, already more than excited from Axel’s previous ministrations, and the taller man licked his lips appreciatively. Then he kissed the inside of Roxas’s knee, trailing his tongue up for a second before he stopped and kissed a little higher up, letting teeth graze the more sensitive skin there minutely before continuing on his path. Roxas groaned, falling back onto his elbows as Axel drove him wild. It was as if Axel knew even better than Roxas himself what would make the blonde suck in a sharp breath, or give a slow, shuddering exhale, or go limp and pliable. He was panting before Axel stopped when he reached the leg of his boxers, where he paused to shoot Roxas a mischievous smile before moving to his other knee and starting all over again. A strangled, pleading sound escaped him as he fisted his hands in the comforter under the glorious torture. Axel took some pity on him, beginning to pull down his boxers even as his mouth continued working it’s way up his inner thigh. The lack of a barrier, however, meant that Axel continued moving upward, tongue tracing the line where his leg met his body and making the blonde jerk his hips reflexively. 

“Whaa-hnng,” Roxas struggled, panting and trying desperately to regain his control. They’d barely started- Axel’s pants weren’t even off yet!- and here he was acting like a horny teenager before his first time. He really had no excuse for himself, either; even if he hadn’t gotten any in a while, he shouldn’t be acting THIS bad. It was like Axel’s every touch, every caress, every movement was exactly the right thing to spur him on to desperate heights. Then his mind went completely blank as Axel licked his way slowly up Roxas’s length, circling the head with his tongue before dragging it harshly across his slit and- 

“Stop! Dear fucking Mother Gaia, Axel. Please,” Roxas exclaimed, and Axel was off him in a heartbeat, looking confused and almost hurt for a second before he took in the sight of the blonde; painfully hard, gasping for breath, and struggling to push himself upright. His expression turned to smug pleasure, and he leaned back in towards Roxas, still careful not to touch him. 

“Is there a problem?” he purred innocently, eyes glancing down to the erection in front of him and causing Roxas to twitch under his gaze. 

“Yeah, my fucking dignity,” Roxas laughed breathlessly, grabbing a fistful of Axel’s fiery hair and pulling him carefully up into a kiss. “That was almost embarrassing,” he murmured against Axel’s lips as he laid back, dragging Axel down on top of himself. Axel chuckled throatily, then ground his hips down against Roxas, drawing a strained hiss from the blonde. 

“Why? I plan to make you come several times. It doesn’t matter when you do, just THAT you do.” Axel’s breath sent shivers through Roxas as the redhead whispered the words into his ear with a sincere deliberateness, and he whimpered weakly. He forced his hands into action, fumbling with Axel’s belt while he spoke. 

“Come on, Red, I can keep up. Give me a chance,” he implored as he helped Axel out of his own pants and underwear, then rolled them both over so that Axel was stretched out on his back with Roxas above him, knees on either side of the redhead’s thin hips. Axel was clearly also getting worked up, which made Roxas feel marginally better, but STILL. The blonde decided it was his turn for some payback; the redhead below him looked too good, tattoos and pale skin stretched beneath him while Axel smiled lazily, and he wanted to know if he could make the man squirm, too. He leaned down to lock their lips together at the same time he pinned Axel’s wrists to the bed where they were resting above his head. Then he let his mouth drift, kissing down Axel’s jaw to his throat, where he stopped to leave a light nip, using more teeth than he normally would have but feeling it was the right way to get to Axel. His instincts proved correct; Axel let out a groan and ground his hips up to meet Roxas, and the friction of both their lengths rubbing together distracted the blonde and made his hold on the redhead’s wrists loosen. Axel growled playfully before lunging up at him and rolling them so he was holding himself off the blonde with just his forearms, the rest of their bodies pressed together deliciously, and Roxas giggled at his own defeat. He reached up and felt down Axel’s firm chest and toned stomach until he rested them below the taller man’s waist, tracing sharp hipbones with his thumbs. Axel hummed happily, claiming Roxas’s lips once again and beginning to trace the length of Roxas with careful, gentle strokes of his fingertips. The blonde gave a small whimper and his eyes closed as a particularly hard shiver went through him; Axel’s hand was tight enough that Roxas had to fight the desire to pump his hips up into it but loose and gentle enough that every movement was easy, pure bliss. He’d never experienced sex with someone who seemed to know his every desire and weak spot so intimately, and after just a few more moments Roxas was breathlessly panting again. When Roxas opened his mouth to plead for another break, Axel rubbed the pad of his thumb across Roxas’s cheekbone and gave him such an intense look that the words died in his throat. 

“Please, Roxy,” Axel moaned quietly, speeding up his hand and making Roxas arch his back with a loud groan. “I wanna make you come like this, before we ever fuck, where I can watch your face when you lose yourself. Come for me, sweetheart,” he begged, and Roxas was unable to help but comply, letting out a ragged, drawn-out cry as he shot his load forcefully between their bodies. Axel beamed softly down at him before burying his face into the crook of his neck and giving Roxas a moment to come down, muscles twitching and shivering occasionally in the aftermath of such an intense orgasm. This was...so much more than he’d anticipated when he’d asked Axel back with him. He’d expected great sex with a hot guy, yeah, but this had FELT different. This had felt a lot deeper than that, and he didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. He definitely knew he’d be craving the redhead back in his bed long after he’d gone, and that no amount of meaningless sex with strangers would compensate for the loss. When his breathing had returned to a more normal rhythm, Axel peeked up at him with an almost shy smile. “Was that...okay?” he asked, tone much lighter than the expression on his face, and Roxas barked out a shaky laugh. 

“You’re ruining any future sex for me before we even get down to it,” he teased, placing a soft kiss to Axel’s hairline in a move that took himself by surprise while at the same time feeling as natural as breathing. Axel followed the line of Roxas’s jaw with his nose, rubbing from the corner of his neck all the way down to his chin and back again before retracing the line with soft kisses. 

“You’ve got me for as long as you want me, Blondie. Just say the word and I’m more than ready to destroy your expectations for round two,” he purred into the skin of Roxas’s throat, before nipping playfully at the spot. Roxas felt his stomach flip and his body begin to respond to the words in a display of stamina he hadn’t expected from himself. He knew two things to be absolutely true in that moment; that he was definitely going to be in trouble come tomorrow morning when it was time to say goodbye, and that he was about to thoroughly enjoy every second until that time came.


	7. Chapter Seven

Truth be told, Axel felt kind of guilty, like he’d cheated or tricked Roxas almost. But he needed a way to make the blonde want to keep him around longer than just the night, and when his plan had actually WORKED... 

When Axel had started taking off Roxas’s sweater last night, an almost identical memory floated to the surface of his mind, where he had kissed and scraped teeth gently over some past Roxas’s neck and the blonde had melted into the actions. On impulse, he imitated the actions, and was rewarded when a shiver went through the blonde under his lips. He pulled off the sweater and spun the shorter man around, tugging his shirt off much more quickly. Then he paused, a low sound of appreciation escaping him as he took in the sight of the half naked blonde in front of him, eyes wide and lips parted slightly. Those lips pulled him closer, and he grabbed Roxas’s hip roughly to press them together, but paused before placing the other delicately at his jawline, reverently cradling his face. So much time had been spent trying to get exactly where he was in that moment, and this was already the best night of his life, but if it ended here, if Roxas wasn’t interested in keeping him around after the one night...he didn’t know what he’d do. There HAD to be something he could do to ensure that- and that’s when the idea had struck him. He had just been gifted the knowledge of a sensitive spot on Roxas from one of those memories..and he was willing to bet he could come up with a whole lot more. He’d never had any complaints about his performance in bed before, but if he knew every single thing he could do to drive his partner wild... 

“Axel?” Roxas called out to him, and Axel shook himself out of his daze, ready to test his theory. 

“You’re breathtaking,” he murmured before throwing everything he had into kissing the small blonde. In those lips were a thousand lifetimes of memories, and Axel felt his heart swell at the perfection of kissing Roxas. Hundreds of passionate kisses where he’d dominated the blonde echoed in his head, so he took charge, letting his hand roam in familiar patterns over pale skin while the one at Roxas’s hip held onto him like it was the only thing holding him afloat in an endless sea. Then he let that one move as well, following a well-known path to the front of the small male’s jeans and working the button there open. Another memory, a different Roxas stretched out on a bed with his hands and ankles cuffed to the bedframe. Axel, between his knees, driving him to desperate begging by teasing him with his mouth on the blonde’s inner thighs. He began to draw down Roxas’s zipper teasingly, thinking about how to get himself into a similar position, but Roxas helped him out with that. He grabbed two fistfuls of Axel’s hair and pushed the redhead back an inch, breathing hard. 

“Bed?” he asked, letting his hold on red hair go in favor of attempting to remove Axel’s shirt, and Axel obliged him, tugging the garment off with one hand. Then he scooped Roxas up into his arms, carrying him to the bed and depositing him there in a quick move. 

“Bed,” Axel confirmed, a pleased smirk slipping into his face. Perfect. Now to see if the blonde beneath him was as sensitive here as his memory suggested. He made quick work of the jeans, tugging them off as he dropped to his knees beside the bed, and he found himself staring hungrily at the blonde’s erection trying to free itself from the thin material of his boxers. He licked his lips, desire flooding every cell of his body, but he pulled away to place a gentle kiss to the inside of Roxas’s right knee. His tongue followed the ghostly path of his memory, dragging its way a few inches higher before he introduced teeth with the next touch of his lips. And kept going. He was starting to wonder if this was doing anything for the blonde when Roxas groaned weakly, collapsing back onto his elbows with a ragged exhale, and Axel was immediately hooked on the drug of the sounds Roxas began making. Axel toyed with him, lavishing attention on every inch of skin along his leg, until he hit the hem of the smaller man’s boxers. He stopped to gauge his success and his gaze locked on half-lidded blue eyes darkened with need, breath panting between parted lips as he watched Axel work. The redhead gave a wolffish smile before he began to give the left leg the same treatment as Roxas’s right. The sound that escaped the smaller man was deliciously needy and clearly asking for more, and Axel couldn’t help but give in a little bit. He began to draw down the impeding underwear even as he continued his slow advance upward, and now there was no fabric to stop his progress. When he reached the juncture of leg and pelvis, Axel followed impulse and slid his tongue along the crease there. The response was immediate and exactly what he wanted; Roxas gave a desperate, mindless thrust of his hips and made a strangled attempt to form words. 

“Whaa-hnng,” Roxas gasped, sounds dying when Axel finally, finally let himself draw his tongue up the underside of Roxas’s shaft, exactly following the line his mind told him to take. At the head, his tongue detoured slowly to trace around it before he was at the tip, where he pressed at Roxas’s slit, exactly how memories told him he should to push the blonde over the edge, and- 

“Stop! Dear fucking Mother Gaia, Axel. Please.” Roxas’s shout had Axel reeling backwards to put some distance between them, wondering where he’d gone wrong, until his brain registered the sight Roxas made before him. The blonde was struggling, both to regain his breath and to push himself up with arms that seemed to be refusing to support his weight, while his erection throbbed, making Axel’s jump to attention in response. 

“Is there a problem?” he asked, smug satisfaction coursing through him at how close to undone the shorter man looked. When he leaned forward slightly and looked pointedly between the blonde’s legs, Roxas twitched beneath his stare. 

“Yeah, my fucking dignity,” Roxas answered with a laugh before he fisted a hand in Axel’s hair and drew him up into a kiss, then on top of him as he fell back onto the mattress. “That was almost embarrassing.” A laugh rumbled from deep in Axel’s chest as he ground his hips down into the blonde to give him a little nudge and earning a quiet hiss from Roxas. 

“Why?” he implored seriously, leaning down so that his lips nearly brushed Roxas’s ear as he spoke. “I plan to make you come several times. It doesn’t matter when you do, just THAT you do.” A whimper squeaked from Roxas before he began fumbling with Axel’s belt above him. 

“Come on, Red, I can keep up. Give me a chance,” the blonde beseeched him, pushing Axel back and climbing onto him as soon as they’d worked the redhead’s remaining clothes off. Axel gave a lazy smile as he laid back with his arms by his head and allowed Roxas to slide a gaze from his erect length, up the taunt lines of his stomach and chest and over his shoulders, until coming to rest on his lips. A spark lit in Roxas’s eyes before he leaned down and pressed their lips together, and then Axel felt sudden weight press his wrists firmly into the bed. Sure he had the larger man pinned, Roxas began leaving kisses along Axel’s jaw and neck. Axel tipped his head back and unconsciously bared his throat for the blonde seconds before Roxas bit down gently, and the redhead’s careful control slipped for a second. He ground his hips up to meet the blonde above him with a groan, rubbing them both together in his search for friction, and distracting the overly sensitized blonde enough to loosen his grip. 

The familiarity of tensing his muscles before lunging playfully at the blonde was exhilarating; Axel growled a warning before he sprang and rolled them to pin the blonde carefully with his body, holding his chest off Roxas with a forearm on either side of the shorter man. Giggles issued from his captive before Roxas’s hands were sliding down his chest to rest on his hipbones, rubbing them with the pads of his thumbs. Axel didn’t try to hold back the pleased sound that came from him as he lowered his head to capture Roxas’s lips with his own at the same time he let his fingertips begin to drift up and down Roxas’s erect length in delicate yet deliberate motions. Another whimper preceded a full-body shudder, and the blonde’s eyes slipped shut while Axel adjusted his grip to one that the Roxas in his memories preferred and began pumping his hand. 

Watching Roxas come apart in his hands was the most amazing sight, and Axel wanted nothing else from life in that moment than to push the blonde over the edge like he’d never been before. Roxas parted his lips in a breathless gasp, and before he could begin to voice the pleading in his eyes, Axel heard himself begin begging the blonde, swiping a thumb across a blush-covered cheek. 

“Please, Roxy.” The words came out on a weak moan, and he increased the tempo of his hand. Axel watched the body below his arch up beautifully and reveled in loud, drawn-out groan before he continued, the honesty in his voice ringing clearly even to his own ears. “I wanna make you come like this, before we ever fuck, where I can watch your face when you lose yourself.” Roxas’s entire body tensed, muscles straining, and Axel knew he was done. “Come for me, sweetheart,” the redhead crooned the final plea, and watched in adoration as Roxas fell apart. The blonde cried out wordlessly as he came in violent bursts, and Axel felt a bright smile blossom to life across his face. He carefully turned his head into the curve of Roxas’s neck and buried his face there, breathing in the blonde’s warm, enticing scent and giving him a moment in peace. When his panting gasps turned into soft, calmer exhales, Axel snuck a glance up at the smaller man, unable to keep the joy from his face despite his sudden nervousness. “Was that...okay?” he questioned, hoping against hope that his plan had worked. Roxas gave a weak laugh, then leaned down to place a kiss against red hair, and Axel could have died happily in that moment. 

“You’re ruining any future sex for me before we even get down to it,” Roxas muttered jokingly, and Axel began to rub his nose against the line of the blonde’s jaw, making a second pass with his lips when he’d completed the first. His heart was about to explode with happiness and smug satisfaction. It had worked. 

“You’ve got me for as long as you want me, Blondie. Just say the word and I’m more than ready to destroy your expectations for round two,” Axel’s voice came out in a purr as he began to devote attention to a spot on Roxas’s neck that memory said the blonde was weak to, and that was really all it had taken to start them back at it. Round two was possibly even more satisfying than the first, moreso because countless remembered experiences and techniques had the blonde screaming Axel’s name when he came rather than the fact that the redhead came himself that time. Now though, as he cradled the exhausted, spent blonde in his arms, guilt was creeping in on him. 

He wanted to make Roxas happy, and he’d certainly seemed to have done that, but it felt like he’d been playing with a stacked deck; he’d known every move to make and spot to focus on. Did it matter, though, if he’d given Roxas the very best that he could? His mind spun in endless circles, and he contented himself with savoring every second he had to touch the sleeping man pressed against him. He’d find out in the morning, he supposed, if his efforts had been worth it. If the blonde would ask him to stay, to come back, to be around...Axel was already his, would do anything in his power to please Roxas in any capacity. 

He just hoped Roxas would let him.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely readers! 
> 
> Just a few things before I give you this very fluffy and gratuitous chapter;
> 
> -I didn’t intend for this update to take as long as it did. I’m in the final chapters of There’s An App For That, and it is months of work drawing to a close, so its currently getting top priority until it wraps up. Don’t worry! Only a few chapters left on TAAFT, then this and Discord Required will get the wave of attention they deserve. 🙏❤️ Side note: if you haven’t found and looked into TAAFT, I would love it if you did! 😍🥰
> 
> -I didn’t intend for this story to be as...explicit as its turning out to be, but there you go. My plans for this are changing with every bit I write, soo I’m just writing what these boys want me to at this point. 😜 which apparently seems to be sex scenes. 😅😂
> 
> -I am a plant 🌱 , and your feedback/comments is my sunshine ☀️. If you read this, I’d love to hear from you! ❤️😅🙏 
> 
>  
> 
> And as always, thanks for reading.

Axel was still curled around him, possessively clinging in his sleep, when Roxas woke up the next morning. It was incredibly nice, the feeling of waking up in the man’s warm arms, and he was happy to postpone the inevitable awkward morning-after to stay right where he was. His mind roamed, thinking over the last several hours spent with the redhead, and how he truly felt like he’d never enjoy doing something like this with anyone else again. He wasn’t sure what to do. Their time together had been surprisingly, undeniably intimate, and he didn’t know what to do with the butterflies that seemed to have grown to actual feelings overnight. He felt like he would MISS Axel after he was gone, and that was definitely not morning-after protocol. He couldn’t even fully worry, though, as the smell of leather and cigarettes and something spicy both comforted and excited him, and was thoroughly distracting him. He’d already decided on skipping his class that morning, and every other thing he should be doing until Axel woke up and they inevitably had to say goodbye, but he’d forgotten one very important thing; his roommates, two of whom shared the same morning class as him. 

“Yo, Rox!” Hayner’s shout was accompanied by loud, incessant pounding on his door, startling Axel awake with a yelp and a reflexive tightening of his arms that left Roxas breathless in more than one way. “We’ve gotta be out the door in seven minutes, and that’s pushing it!” 

“Did you have a good night? What time did your friend leave?” Olette followed up, voice much sweeter than Hayner. “It must have been after we all fell asleep, we never saw him go.” While she was still speaking, Axel leaned his head down to whisper in Roxas‘s ear. 

“Is it a secret that I’m here?” The almost-inaudible hum in his ear sent pleasant tingles down his spine, and Roxas shook his head. 

“I didn’t. Morning, Olette,“ Axel called sweetly towards the door. On the other side, there was a loud squeak, followed by a whoop and Hayner’s ‘way to g-‘ before there was a smack of skin on skin and the words were abruptly muffled beyond recognition. Roxas rolled his eyes despite his broad grin. 

“Sick today. Cough cough. Go on without me,” Roxas said, completely deadpan. The cage of Axel’s arms around him shook with silent laughter as Hayner spoke first. 

“Did you really just say ‘cough cough’?” the dirty blonde spluttered, and then Olette piped up again. 

“We’ll let the professor know! Uh, sorry for interrupting, guys,” she said, voice still higher-pitched from chagrin, and then footsteps signaled their departure. Axel rolled back towards Roxas, burying his face into the curve of the shorter blonde’s neck. 

“Good morning,” he murmured, breath warm against Roxas’s skin. Roxas moaned softly, then rolled over so that he was pressed chest to chest against the redhead. 

“Morning,” the blonde purred, running his hands over Axel’s chest and letting them settle there. The soft but glowing smile the redhead gave him made his face heat up, and he pressed a burning cheek against Axel’s chest as well to hide his face. “Did you know, gorgeous redheads in my bed before eight in the morning is my biggest weakness,” he muttered, exhaling his words against pale skin. Laughter rumbled under his palms. 

“Is that something you have to deal with often?” the redhead in question asked around chuckles, so Roxas threw a leg over Axel’s hip and looked up at him with a mischievous grin. 

“Nah, newly discovered problem,” he said cheekily, causing Axel to growl playfully before nipping at the thin skin at the juncture of his neck and shoulder. 

“Anything I could do to help you out with that?” Axel rumbled, drawing back to give a wink. “I heard you’re taking a sick day.” Roxas laughed before stealing a kiss, which Axel quickly deepened, teasing his tongue past the blonde’s lips to delve inside. Roxas broke away after only a brief moment, however, because he’d rather not have the first thing Axel think of him this morning be that he had morning breath. 

“Give me a minute?” Roxas asked with an apologetic grimace. “Then I would be glad to spend all day in this bed with you.” Axel’s responding smirk was too-knowing. 

“If you’re gonna go brush your teeth, can I tag along? Morning breath,” he asked, and Roxas smiled gratefully. 

“You really are too perfect to be true,” Roxas muttered as he rolled over the redhead and off the bed in a single, fluid motion that had Axel staring after him. “Throw on some pants, Pence is still probably around.” Axel obeyed as Roxas did the same; both remained shirtless for their short journey to the shared bathroom. While they were brushing their teeth side by side at the single sink, he caught Axel giving him a slow once-over, and he not only felt but saw the blush return to his cheeks. He leaned down to spit out his toothpaste, and Axel mimicked his action when he was done; he was waiting for the redhead when Axel straightened back up. He grabbed the waistline of the taller man’s jeans and tugged him forward until they were pressed together again. 

“Now, about that kiss,” he began, but Axel had already caught on, and his lips cut off the request before it was fully formed. Before he realized it, his back was pressed firmly against the door, and Axel was supporting the majority of his weight as he sank one hand into deep red locks and wound the other around the back of Axel’s neck, holding himself close. They were interrupted before they got very much further by the turn of the door handle. Their combined weights kept it shut, but that was enough of a signal to get moving. Axel eased back, letting him go so he could turn and open the door for them. Pence was standing to the side, bleary-eyed and in mid yawn as he nodded his head in greeting at Roxas, and then did the same for Axel before he seemed to realize who he had greeted and his eyes opened wide. Roxas held back his laughter until they’d made it to his room, but it was a close thing. “Geez, these guys are as bad as living back home with your parents,” Roxas giggled as he tugged Axel along with him back towards the bed. Before he could hop in, however, Axel spun him around, pulling them back together and then bringing his hands up to cradle the blonde’s face delicately, as if he were a precious treasure. 

“Are you sure this is okay?” Axel asked softly, eyes intense as he stared down into Roxas’s blue ones. “Class is important, and I’m...more than willing to come back any time you want me here.” The redhead’s face twisted as the last of the words left his mouth, as though they hadn’t come out right, but Roxas’s heart stuttered over them anyway. 

“Like...you wanna make this a regular thing?” Roxas asked slowly, trying to keep himself from getting his hopes up. Why would this guy want to sign up for a serious, committed relationship as soon as he moves to a new place after a single night with the guy? Did he even REALLY want that, or was it just a long time of loneliness making him want to jump right in feet first? “Or...like...” He could t even bring himself to ask. He was such a coward, dear Gaia. Axel shrugged, seeming unconcerned, but let his hands fall to Roxas’s hips, which he rubbed with his thumbs as he spoke. 

“Whatever you want. Get to know me first.” Suddenly, a teasing smile was dancing on his lips. “Geez, no wonder you get into crazy shit. What if I was a crazy person?” Glad the conversation had turned lighter while still leaving all avenues open, Roxas played along. He pulled his hands off Axel to cross one at the elbow and to tap his chin thoughtfully with the other, as if thinking hard. 

“Well, I mean honestly, you have to have SOME flaw, and I haven’t found one yet. I’d take crazy if it meant I got everything else.” The utter joy that shone from the emerald eyes above him made his heart throb and his breath catch, but Axel’s words didn’t match the look in intensity; like he was holding back something glorious rather than just being amused. 

“See, you’re just asking for trouble,” Axel teased, nudging Roxas a step further back towards the bed, and the blonde felt it hit the back of his calves. “You don’t know anything about me. You don’t even know what type of crazy I am,” he purred, and a thrill at the faux danger went through him. Axel made for a delightfully appealing bad guy. Axel leaned down to scrape his teeth across a sensitive spot on his neck that made him squirm before a kiss and a soft bite caused him to still. 

“You’re right,” he said breathlessly, winding a bit of Axel’s hair around his fingertip. Then, as seriously as he could manage, “What’s your favorite color?” 

“Red,” Axel hummed without hesitation before launching himself forward and knocking them both onto the bed. Then his mouth was on Roxas, somehow both everywhere and nowhere at once as he ghosted it over the blonde’s skin, leaving light, fleeting kisses as he teased Roxas mercilessly. Whenever he tried to catch his lips, Axel was already somewhere else, and Roxas quickly needed more. He tried to raise his hands up to catch the redhead, but Axel was faster; he quickly captured Roxas’s wrists and held them easily with one large hand. His other hand brushed along Roxas’s jaw and up into his hair, then gripped a handful and tugged just firmly enough to ease the blonde’s head back. He focused his attentions on the exposed column of Roxas’s throat, still teasing but now leaving little nips or tenuous brushes of his tongue as he went. Roxas whined, writhing underneath Axel, trying to encourage more from him, but when Axel drew back it was with a smirk. He released his hold on the blonde spikes and trailed his hand down Roxas’s chest slowly, as if drawing a line with his finger. “How much time do we really have? Surely you’ve got something you have to do today,” Axel purred, and his finger took a detour to circle a nipple. 

“No, nothing,” Roxas answered somewhat desperately, trying to shift his hips against Axel’s to gain a little friction against the erection straining against the confines of his pants. “Axel, pl-“ The plea was cut off sharply when Axel pinched the nipple his finger had been toying with, and a strangled yelp escaped him, which quickly transformed into a moan as Axel’s mouth descended upon the nipple to soothe and tease it while his finger resumed its downward journey. 

“Nothing you’d rather be doing?” Axel implored when he broke away from the blonde’s chest, a triumphant gleam just beginning to form in his eyes as he looked down at Roxas, struggling feebly to pull his hands free so he could get them onto the taller man. 

“Nothing, Axel, just pleas-mmmm,” Roxas moaned, his begging forgotten as pleasure overtook him; Axel had languidly rolled his hips forward, giving them both the friction Roxas had been searching for but also tucking the blonde more securely under him. 

“Then I see absolutely no incentive for me to hurry,” Axel murmured, grinding their hips together once more before he settled them there, pinning Roxas in place just as his fingers made it to the fabric of the blonde’s pants. “I could happily keep you here all day, and I bet you can get to know me pretty well like this.” Axel punctuated his words with a kiss, swift and dominating, before he pulled back again and raised an eyebrow at the blonde. Roxas whimpered, then licked his lips. 

“Never tried to get to know someone while they were driving me insane before,” he tried, but Axel just laughed and kissed him again. 

“What are you going to school for?” Axel asked conventionally when he’d retreated again, and Roxas’s head was spinning. 

“Uh, photography,” he managed, then when Axel did nothing but nod and look at him expectantly, “What do you like to do when you’re not torturing me?” The answering laugh was warm, and the redhead let his fingers dance their way to the button on his pants, which he opened in another impossibly smooth twist of his fingers. 

“I’m not torturing you,” he said, as if offended. “I’m enjoying you. There’s a difference.” Still, the hand that was teasing the blonde’s pants open began to move with more purpose, until his hand palmed over the straining, heated flesh between Roxas’s legs. “And I write,” Axel continued as he rubbed his hand slowly along the length of the blonde’s shaft. “I guess I’m the stereotypical cafe hipster or whatever, but that’s what I’ve found myself doing a lot lately.” He spoke like he didn’t have Roxas jerking and twitching under him, and the shorter man couldn’t understand how. “What do you want to do with your life?” Roxas groaned and desperately jerked his hips as Axel’s hand finally closed around him, but the redhead set an excruciatingly slow pace that built him up yet wasn’t enough to bring him over the edge by far. 

“Dear sweet merciful Gaia,” he moaned brokenly as Axel rubbed his thumb firmly against his slit. “Can my answer be to have sex with you then buy you breakfast?” The redhead seemed to finally give in to his pleading with a broad wink. 

“We can pause this conversation until then, I suppose,” Axel hummed, finally starting to pick up the rhythm of his hand. Then his lips descended to meet Roxas’s, and it wasn’t until his fingers were tangled in Axel’s hair that the blonde realized he’d been freed. Roxas immediately focused on the task of getting Axel naked again before the man could push him too far; he was already so close to the edge, but sex with Axel had been impossibly good, and he didn’t want to miss out on that again. The man above him must have had a similar thought, because both pairs of pants vanished rather rapidly after that. Axel broke the kiss to rise above Roxas on his knees, reaching for the lube they’d left on the bedside table last night. “You sure you’re not too sore?” he asked as he leaned back with his prize, and his concern was sweet if misplaced. 

“I’m the best kind of sore,” he purred up at the redhead, hands reaching to feel over Axel’s erection and hoping the contact would encourage him. Axel’s eyes closed at the contact, and a low hum escaped him before they opened with a hungry gleam. He wasted no more time as he pulled Roxas’s legs over his, squeezed a liberal amount of the viscous liquid onto his hand, and then lowered himself over Roxas, one hand by the shorter man’s shoulder supporting his weight while the other reached between the blonde’s legs to carefully begin to spread some of the lubricant around his entrance. A finger slipped just past the tight ring of muscle, and Roxas ground his hips down, trying to get more. 

“Gaia, Roxy, you’re so tight,” Axel rumbled even as he began working his finger in and out of the blonde, stretching the muscles carefully before adding a second. “I don’t wanna hurt you.” Then he curled his fingers slightly, brushing the cluster of overly-sensitive nerves, and Roxas let out an embarrassingly needy moan. Axel gave a blissful smile as he began working in a third finger while murmuring in the blonde’s ear, “Mm, I fucking love that sound. Make it again?” At the same time he asked, he twisted his fingers to rub more forcefully against the same spot, and the sound that the action pulled from him was a much louder, much longer echo of the first. “Perfect,” the redhead chuckled before he did it again. Roxas was panting, focusing all of his effort on holding himself back from the edge, fingers clutching at the blankets underneath him. He was so, so desperately close, and Axel knew it, too; quickly the man rubbed his hand over himself, making sure he’d left a liberal coating of the fluid before lining up behind Roxas. Then, almost painfully slowly, Axel pushed himself inside. 

“Axel,” Roxas gasped out, drawing out the name as the delicious feeling of being filled washed through him. Axel’s moan was lower, rougher, as he held himself completely still so the blonde could adjust. After a nod from Roxas, he began to move; first slowly as they both got into the rhythm, and then he struck the bundle of nerves head-on. Roxas arched mindlessly at the contact, a wordless cry falling from his lips, and then Axel picked up the pace, pounding into the spot harder and faster, over and over, until Roxas was all but screaming his name. Axel’s still-slick hand came up to stroke Roxas’s neglected length where it strained between them, and that sent him hard over the edge. He shuddered and came violently, vision going blindingly white as he rode out the intense orgasm, and when his muscles clenched around the redhead, Axel let himself follow after the blonde with a groan and a few more sharp thrusts of his hips. They remained locked together like that for several long seconds before Axel let himself collapse to the side, pulling Roxas along and into his arms with a soft laugh. 

“You know, if you let me go raid your kitchen, I’ll bring you breakfast in bed AND you don’t have to put pants on,” Axel offered cheerfully after a moment, kissing Roxas’s shoulder before resting his chin on the spot. Tempting as the idea was, though, he really did want to get to know the man, and clearly that wasn’t going to happen right now without some clothes. 

“I appreciate the sentiment, but we don’t have anything decent to eat here, and I don’t know about you, but I need some real food.” He leaned back against Axel’s chest, enjoying those long, warm arms wrapped comfortably around him. His sick day looked like it might turn into something his enamored heart might even pretend was a date, and that sounded perfectly fine to him.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to those wonderful people who are waiting in the wings for this one 😬❤️ GIM is still on the back burner to Discord Required, after I finished There’s An App For That, DR called to me, and it’s become the main focus. But no matter how much I love Zemyx, AkuRoku is my heart and I still have so much to do for this one so...I hope the chapters I put out will tide you over until GIM takes the spotlight. ❤️

Roxas didn’t have a car, since he lived and worked so close to campus, which meant the pair of them were retracing their steps from the night prior on their was to locate Axel’s car which had been left parked around the bar. Axel didn’t mind in the slightest; the walk with the blonde was nice. The weather was beautiful, perfect for the cigarettes they had both lit up upon leaving the house. They’d started to actually talk, and both seemed more than eager to discover things about the other. The redhead was learning that, much like the Roxas in his memories, the blonde had a set schedule that he stuck to pretty routinely. Between classes, projects, working at a local coffee chain, and his personal pursuit of his photography, Roxas didn’t go out very much, with the exception of Thursday nights and things with his friends that he was drug along to. Axel couldn’t keep himself from picturing how nice a domestic life with the blonde could be; coming home at the end of their days to enjoy each other, comfortably watching TV or playing video games, working on different projects side by side, sharing the details about things they’d seen or done...he was so absorbed in his fantasy, it took him a second to register Roxas’s question. 

“Sorry, what was that?” he asked sheepishly, staring down into those gorgeous blues with a small smile. Roxas nudged him with a shoulder, then laughed when Axel quickly wound his arm around the shorter man’s waist to keep him at his side. 

“Are you really here to register for school?” the blonde repeated, and Axel glanced away as he blew out a cloud of smoke. He didn’t want to lie. He couldn’t tell the truth. It chewed at him, guilt and indecision warring in the pit of his stomach. 

“I...kinda. It’s a long story. A bunch of shit happened and I kinda just left. I’ve been doing my own thing for a while, sorta looking for...the right place to be, you know?” He ran a hand through his hair subconsciously, gritting his teeth. “I was looking at the campus, though. I’ve only got about a year’s worth of classes to finish my degree.” Roxas’s eyes were wide as he took in Axel’s words, but he nodded to himself when they were done. 

“What about here?” Roxas asked, big eyes radiating innocence while he gave Axel a smile that was anything but. “Do you think here is the ‘right place to be’?” Axel smirked broadly; if only the blonde knew. 

“I’m warming up to it, for sure,” he teased with a wink, and then they were back to the main road and Axel had to try to remember where he’d parked the night prior. He couldn’t help but make one more quip before he began looking for the bank he was pretty sure he’d parked behind. “You know, if you told me you wanted to keep me around, it might just tip the scales.” He sauntered off, having caught sight of a familiar sign, and refused to let himself look back to gauge the blonde’s reaction. Be casual. He didn’t want the blonde to know just how desperately he was waiting for his reaction. Quick footsteps caught up to him, and Roxas was at his elbow, and he wasn’t breathing in anticipation of the blonde speaking. 

“We’ll have to see after breakfast. Someone warned me about crazy people,” he hummed, but the shade of pink covering his cheeks and the way he slipped his hand into Axel’s gave him some consolation. He led Roxas over to his car, which he belatedly realized wasn’t ready for a passenger. His pillow, a backpack, some notebooks, and some other thinks were piled in the passenger seat, and takeout trash and empty cups littered the floorboard. The backseat was even worse; essentially living out of your car wasn’t the most glamorous lifestyle ever. Roxas snorted but otherwise remained silent as Axel hastily stuffed his things into the already packed back seat, and then slid into the newly vacated space. Axel started the car up and backed them out of the space, but paused before pulling out into the street. 

“Where to?” he looked over at the blonde, who was interestedly looking around Axel’s vehicle, and had to comment, “the roof even has glow-in-the-dark stars.” Roxas’s eyes bugged and he immediately looked up to see the proof hot-glued to the interior. 

“That is absolutely fantastic,” the blonde murmured, letting his eyes drop down to meet Axel’s. “What sounds good to you?” Axel shrugged, fiddling with the aux cord and getting his phone plugged in. 

“I have absolutely no idea what’s around here. I literally drove in last night, stopped for a beer, and spent the rest of the night with you. I’ve never even seen this place in the daylight; I’m actually pretty surprised I found the car,” he laughed, then put on his playlist. He’d created it and added to it for the entire duration of his search; named ‘The One,’ it was filled with every song he had memories of Roxas liking as well as songs Axel wanted to share with him. As he’d hoped, Roxas perked up as the first song came on. 

“This is one of my all-time favorite songs, no joke,” he enthused, dancing a little in his seat. “Um, how do you feel about donuts?” A flash, like a movie scene, and the pair of them were flying down some unknown highway in a red Jeep and laughing as Roxas ate a donut with baby blue icing and he munched on a jalapeño kolache. A smile grew on his face as he looked down at the expectation blonde and nodded. 

“Yeah, I think that’ll work.” 

The shop Roxas directed them to was small, but far enough away that a walk would have been an endeavor. Must have been a place the blonde didn’t get to go alone very often. When they entered, Roxas immediately went to the case and started searching for something, but Axel miraculously spotted the one he was hoping against hope they would have, and grinned like a Cheshire Cat as he stepped right up to the register. 

“Can I have a jalapeño kolache and that sea salt frosted donut?” was his polite request, and he saw Roxas rise slowly with a stunned look on his face. Perfect. The woman rang him up and he paid for both before Roxas could speak up, and then Axel led them outside and back to the car. 

“How did you know?!” Roxas demanded as they got in, and Axel laughed. 

“Know what?” he asked innocently, and Roxas eyed him suspiciously. 

“This is my FAVORITE, I get these every year on my birthday. How did you know?” Axel beamed as he bit into the spicy roll he was holding, enjoying the new taste more than he expected to. 

“I didn’t. I’ve never had this, either. It’s really good, actually, if you wanna try a bite.” He held out his food, keeping his focus on pulling the car back onto the main road but trying to see if Roxas would in his peripheral. The blonde was staring dumbfoundedly at him, but then a strange look took over his face and he leaned over to take a tiny bite from the offered pastry. Axel swallowed hard and instead of taking them back towards campus, took the turn towards the highway. 

“How did you find me? You know, last night, with those guys...” Roxas asked hesitantly, staring at his hands in his lap. This was another question Axel mentally stumbled over, but at least with this one he could be partially truthful. 

“I saw them drag you through the door. I’d been sitting at the bar when you came in. I...thought you were cute, and I went outside to get some air before I introduced myself, but when I came back you were gone. I was looking around and I saw you guys going out.” An angry snarl had grown, and he was struggling to keep his focus on driving and not the people who had put their hands on his Roxas. A soothing touch to his forearm knocked the rage right out of him, and he threw a surprised glance to Roxas. The blonde was giving him a soft smile, looking at him like he hung the moon, and his heart thumped unevenly. 

“I’m really...lucky. Grateful. You...there’s so much about you that I like. Too much. I- I don’t know how you can be real, like there’s gotta be SOMETHING about you that doesn’t turn me on or make me feel like-“ The blonde choked on his words and turned away to look out the window, hands balled into tight fists in his lap. Axel was beyond shocked. Roxas seemed upset, which made him upset, but at the same time...liked him too much? A grin fought its way onto his lips, and his hand reached out to pet through spiky blonde hair. Roxas was still for a second longer, then leaned into his hand. 

“Hey Rox? Can I tell you something?” The small blonde peeked over at him, and his smile grew sweeter. Roxas might be choking over his dignity beside Axel, but the redhead had no dignity to speak of when it came to that blonde. “Look, I know I’m coming across as...intense, or whatever. It’s just...I’ve been all over, seen and met so many people in the past several years. Not one of them, or anyone else for that matter, has ever made me feel like you do. There’s bad stuff about me, definitely, and we’ll do whatever you’re comfortable with, but...well, if you want me, just say the word and I’m yours.” To relieve a little of the tension, he waggled his eyebrows at the blonde and winked. “In ANY capacity you want me for.” It worked; Roxas let out a weak chuckle. 

“You wouldn’t wanna turn my sick day into a date or something, would you?” His forced nonchalance was clearly in case Axel said no...hadn’t he been listening? 

“Two steps ahead of you, Blondie. Where did you think I was stealing you off to?” Roxas’s head spin towards the window and his mouth dropped open; he’d clearly been too preoccupied to notice that they were now barreling down the highway. He turned back to Axel slowly, eyebrows quirked curiously, and Axel desperately wanted to kiss him. 

“Where ARE we going?” he asked, but Axel shook his head and smirked broadly. 

“Not telling. Unless you don’t want to see what I’ve got planned, though, you better cancel anything else you had to do today. The main event isn’t until sundown, and we’ve got a bit of a drive.”


	10. Chapter Ten

Roxas was pretty sure that he’d had the best day in his entire life. After Axel had turned his brain and heart to mush with his admission and their ‘sick day’ had somehow turned into a full-day date, the redhead had driven them to an undisclosed location which turned out to be a busy, upscale-looking city just a few towns over, full of modern high rises and heavy crowds. Axel told him that he’d stayed there briefly and that it had some cool things to check out, so he’d taken them to a huge car park and the pair left it to go explore the place. They’d visited several shops that were unlike anything his college town had to offer, full of technology he’d never seen and clothes that had prices as high as some of his paychecks. They’d found an aquarium and strolled through it, and a skate park later in the day where they sat and watched people preforming some sick tricks. Roxas had even gotten up the nerve to borrow a skateboard and showed off for Axel- just a little bit, and the man’s expression made up for any nervousness he’d felt. They meandered through a small outdoor strip mall and found an ice cream shop after they had lunch at a taco cart. The whole day had been full of playful banter, conversations to get to know one another better, easy jokes, and casually held hands or gentle touches that made Roxas’s knees weak. Everything felt surreal, and Roxas wasn’t sure if he was ever going to fully accept that the last twenty-four hours had actually happened. Now the sun was beginning to lower into the sky, and Axel had begun to seem like he had somewhere for them to go rather than continue to wander with no actual purpose. 

“Come on, Roxy! Get those tiny legs of yours in gear!” Axel skipped ahead of him and into the crosswalk when the light turned green, and he stumbled along after the lanky man. 

“Not my fault we aren’t all the size of a tree,” he grumbled as he caught up to the redhead, sliding an arm through his. “Where are we headed now?” Axel quirked his lips into that sexy as fuck smirk of his, pointedly ignoring Roxas’s question. 

“Do you know what this city is famous for?” he asked instead, looking ahead of them cheerfully, and Roxas rolled his eyes. 

“No, what?” the blonde hummed, gazing around. Was it some sort of festival, were there people in costumes or signs up for it? Nothing jumped out at him, though. Axel beamed like that had been the answer he was looking for and rather than answer him again, the redhead instead lit them each a cigarette and passed one to the petite blonde. They headed away from the bustle of the city and through an extensive public park, and the path devolved from fresh new cement to more cracked and poorly kept pavement to uneven and imperfect cobblestones; still, Axel led them forward. Suddenly, trees cleared and he could see it- a giant clock tower rose from the surrounding trees, reaching its bells towards the heavens. Roxas let out a low whistle, looking over to Axel. “Is that it? We’re gonna check out some historical clock tower?” he wondered aloud, and Axel winked. 

“Not exactly, short stuff. Come on, we don’t have a lot of time left.” In a move that set butterflies exploding in his stomach, Axel twined their hands together and tugged Roxas along at a more rapid clip. They made it to the looming tower quickly, and Axel led him right up to the heavily locked doors. He released Roxas to step off to the side and into some overgrown bushes, muttering to himself, and then returned to the blonde. “Alright, follow me, and watch out, okay?” Roxas shot Axel a quizzical look but let himself be led into the foliage, behind which a part of the tower’s wall had crumbled, leaving an opening that was probably big enough for Axel to squeeze through. The blonde looked skeptically at his companion, but Axel was already maneuvering his large frame through the hole. 

“Are we going to get arrested or something?” he called quietly, but a ghostly laugh drifting through the air was his only answer. He shrugged, and then ducked through the crumbling stone and rotting wood to find the redhead standing at the foot of a rickety set of stairs halfway across the room. 

“Up we go,” he said simply before he began climbing, leaving Roxas scrambling to keep up in the semi-darkness. 

“Hey! Short legs, remember?” the smaller man called up as he began his own ascent, earning another echoing laugh from his companion. 

“Keep up! Don’t want to miss the beginning, do you?” Roxas huffed, taking the stairs two at a time, and after long last he caught up, nearly crashing into Axel in the gloom. A large, warm hand caught and steadied him before he fell back down the long staircase, and then Axel pushed open a tiny door and led them out and- 

It was breathtaking. Axel had led them out into a ledge just below the clock face, and the view of the city laid out before them was indescribable. Axel wasted no time guiding him to the center most point and then indicated they both sit, and his timing had been just as perfect as everything else about him; before Roxas could get over the beauty of the sun dying in the distance and painting the underbelly of the clouds in pinks and purples, the first firework whizzed into the air. The show was spectacular, drawing soft sounds of appreciation from Roxas, but when he turned to thank Axel, he found the man staring at him with a heartbreakingly soft smile on his features. 

“I’m so glad I found you, Roxas,” he purred, scooting even closer to the blonde at his side. Roxas leaned into Axel as the redhead wrapped an arm around him, and they watched the end of the show in that perfectly beautiful moment. When the last of the smoke was drifting away, Axel’s fingers found his chin and gently forced blue eyes to meet vibrant green ones. “Thank you for giving me a chance.” Roxas forgot to breathe for a moment- the look Axel was giving him was pure glorious, radiating joy, and it was hard to feel like he deserved such a reaction. 

“Why?” he heard himself ask in a small voice, and he inwardly groaned. He was pathetic. Axel didn’t seem to think so, though. The question only increased his intense stare, however. Axel leaned in, close enough Roxas could feel his breath against his cheeks, and the blonde was drowning in endless green oceans. 

“You are exactly what I’ve been searching for. You’re everything I want, everything I need, and I- I’m just happy you’re letting me be here with you.” A blush flooded furiously across Roxas’s face before he all but threw himself at Axel, cautious of the edge as he dove into a kiss with the tall man at his side. Axel’s hands went to the sides of his jaw, cradling him as if he were the most valuable treasure even as his hungry mouth devoured Roxas. A low moan left the blonde as Axel’s tongue swept into his mouth, tasting, tangling with his in an impassioned dance that had Roxas gasping for breath in no time at all. He wasn’t going to let the overwhelming feelings that the redhead brought out in him take over this time- at least, not yet. This perfect creature had done so much and given so much to him in such a short period of time- it was staggering. He was determined that this time, he was going to be the one to bring Axel to his knees. Metaphorically, of course. And maybe not inches from a drop to certain death. Axel’s hands had begun to creep under his shirt, feeling over the sensitive skin at his waist and sides, and he tugged the redhead’s shirt to pull him closer. 

“How far away is your car?” he hummed into Axel’s ear, making the taller man still his hands. 

“Not very. I parked us near here and led us away, we’ve been circling back all day. Why, you don’t wanna make out on the edge of a huge drop?” The look he gave Roxas was pure mischief, but it was replaced quickly with sharp hunger when the blonde answered him. 

“Don’t mind that, but it’s a little more concerning for what I had in mind. How far of a walk?” 

“Less than five minutes,” Axel grinned, already starting to grab their things. Roxas pushed himself up and held the door, and then both made their way down quickly, pausing to make out briefly again out of necessity before squeezing back through the wall and into the air. They stopped a few more times on the way, hands and mouths greedily returning to one another, and at one point Roxas had to desperately remind himself that they were in a public area before he did something definitely not for public viewing. The streets started to get more crowded, and then suddenly they were at the car, wasting no time before hopping in. 

“I don’t suppose you know a bit less busy of a place to park, do you?” Roxas purred as he slid his hand slowly up Axel’s arm and to his shoulder and then further up the back of his neck, playing with the shorter hairs at his hairline. A shiver rolled through the taller man and he threw the car into gear, pulling them away from the curb and leaving the city lights behind them. Roxas spent the drive running his hands through Axel’s hair, down his chest and abs and brushing against the front of his pants before continuing along his teasing path. Axel groaned helplessly the second time it happened, his grip on the steering wheel tightening, and Roxas smirked. He brought his hand back to rub the bulge in the redhead’s pants more purposefully, earning a hiss from above him, and the blonde licked his lips as he got an idea. “Hmm, actually...” he began, pulling his hand away as he sat up slightly and gave a playful look to his companion. 

“Listening,” was the abrupt and immediate rumble from the driver which pleased Roxas to no end. 

“New plan. Head home and towards a bed, and we’ll see if you make it there.” His smirk returned, broader than before, and he let his hand drift back to Axel’s pants to toy with the button. A small, choked off sound left the redhead, and he nodded before Roxas tugged the pants open. Axel lifted his hips to allow the smaller man to pull his pants and boxers far enough down for access and Roxas hummed as his companion was exposed. Clearly, Axel was very into what they were doing. Roxas felt over the man slowly with a loose hand, enjoying the way Axel sighed above him. He leaned over the center console and let his mouth hover over Axel, teasing him with a flick of his tongue before wrapping his lips around his head. 

“Oh fuck,” Axel whispered as the blonde sank onto his cock with painful slowness, tongue stroking and caressing every inch that was taken in. Roxas pulled himself back off with the same deliberate motion, pausing at the head to trace around it teasingly with just the tip of his tongue before he got to work. He built a steady rhythm, head bobbing between the steering wheel and Axel’s taut body, working him over with everything he had in him. Tongue stroked, teeth scraped lightly, lips massaged, and he kept building their motions, going deeper and faster every time Axel moaned or his muscles tensed. He could tell that they were flying down the dark highway, but his focus was locked onto pleasuring the man beneath him, humming happily around the straining flesh and causing Axel’s hips to jerk reflexively. The redhead was panting, a stream of expletives peppered with the blonde’s name falling from his parted lips, and Roxas let the hand not supporting his weight and balancing him to join his mouth, tracing delicate fingers over his tightening balls. “Roxas-“ Axel groaned weakly, and the smaller man chose that moment to take in the entire length, swallowing around Axel several times before drawing back again. The sound the redhead made was music to the blonde, drawn out and full of need. “Gaia, please,” Axel began to plead, one hand leaving the steering wheel and twisting into Roxas’s hair. He slowed his movement, swatting Axel’s hand away and back to the wheel with a growl that made the taller man groan loudly. “We’re almost there, Roxy, please let me fuck you. I wanna fuck you so bad.” Roxas let out a laugh that went right through Axel’s dick and the redhead made a strangled sound which turned into a small whimper as Roxas finally pulled his mouth away. The relief he gave Axel was only momentarily, however. 

“Oh, you will,” he purred, licking his lips, “but not before I taste you.” Immediately, he dove back down, tonguing Axel’s slit roughly before sliding to the base in a movement so swift the redhead didn’t have time to prepare; the reaction was just what he’d been hoping for. Axel yelled roughly as his climax was forced from him, and Roxas swallowed down every last bit of it with the satisfaction of a cat with a bowl of cream. The redhead was shaking as he pulled the car over, and the blonde sat up to be surprised by the sight of a familiar residential street not that far from his own. 

“That...was SO not fair,” he huffed at a laughing Roxas. “Don’t give me that look, pipsqueak, I’m gonna get you back when I can feel my legs again.” Roxas couldn’t help himself, he leaned forward, licking his lips, to murmur into Axel’s ear. 

“Is that a promise?”


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leaving on a short, sad chapter to update Discord Required and Into The Unknown, please don’t hate me 😬 I’ll be back around to update here again soon. ❤️

The hospital air stank of death. Seemingly endless rows of pallets that were little better than bedrolls lined the walls and created a center isle through what had once been a primary school. Back before the war had started. Now, it was filled with the sick and dying men who had aided in the battle that they had just won. Enemy soldiers had been pushed back, but their side had suffered heavy casualties to earn the victory. Those huddled in the encampments nearby were mostly quiet, letting the somber silence go on in respect for their many fallen comrades. The night air was thick with tension and exhaustion, with an occasional pain-filled scream emanating from the repurposed schoolyard. It was a macabre sight, to be sure. 

Suddenly, shouting erupted as a lone figure atop a large black stallion raced into the camp, seemingly careless of the men or belongings that were in their path. The steed flew across the space as if airborne, leaping fires and bodies with ease as it carried its rider towards the low-lying building. The man atop the beast was wearing the threadbare uniform of the victors, with long red hair tied at the nape of his neck that flew out behind him as they covered ground at a breakneck speed. Hooves clattered on the stones at the entrance and the rider dismounted in a fluid leap, landing on his feet and immediately sending his long legs into a sprint into the building. Inside, the tall figure searched the room frantically, head whipping around. A haggard nurse hurried to his side with a frown marring her already blood-smeared countenance. 

“Sir, you must keep quiet. The men are all-“ she began in a low voice, but the redhead spun to face her with a ferocious snarl. 

“Tell me he’s not here!” the man barked, sound reverberating in the solemn room. Two more nurses left what they were doing to try to contain the enraged male, but he shrugged off all three as he began pacing down the rows of the sick, injured, and dying. He grew visibly more desperate with every bed he passed, and began shouting again when one of the women drew too near and was caught in his line of sight. “You thrice-cursed fools, where are you keeping him?!” 

A small, weak sound came from a cot some distance away, but the large man immediately spun towards it and ran as if the devil himself had set his coat tails alight. Lying pale and heavily bandaged, the petite blonde there was struggling to rise. 

“Roxas,” the taller man breathed, falling to his knees beside the bed. “Oh no, no. It can’t be true.” Tears pooled in his bright green eyes as he looked down upon the blonde, discreetly gauging the seriousness of his injuries. If infection could be held at bay, his shoulder would probably be able to heal. The wounds on his opposite arm looked superficial, as did the one to his temple, simply judging from the lighter bandages found there. His assessment began to lift his spirits until one of the women he’d cast aside approached cautiously. She made eye contact with the redhead before she silently pulled back the blonde’s blanket, revealing a mass of bandages at the petite man’s waist, soaked through with blood. The newcomer paled and looked up into Roxas’s blue eyes which were struggling to find his. 

“Axel,” the hoarse whisper slid from Roxas, and his hand twitched as if he were trying to reach out to the man at his side. A strangled sound left the taller man as he put his hand into the blonde’s with incredible delicacy. This could not happen. Roxas was supposed to have been amongst those who stayed behind to hold their position; how could this be? The nurse leaned down to whisper to the redhead, speaking almost directly into his ear so as not to be overheard. 

“A wave of the traitorous scum broke through the line and tried to make it here, to get rid of us tending to the wounded. The lad and several others took to our defense, but was struck down by a musket at close range. I...I’ll spare your sensibilities, sir, but he won’t make it through the night. There’s too much damage. All we can do is keep him comfortable.” She touched a hand to Axel’s shoulder but he shook her off roughly, and she retreated to resume tending to the others. The redhead never looked away from the form lying in that pallet, the man with whom he had fallen in love. 

“Don’t leave, Roxas,” he begged in a strained whisper, clutching at the hand in his. “There’s so much I need to tell you; there’s so much ahead for us.” A faint smile ghosted across the blonde’s face, and his hand rose unsteadily to touch Axel’s cheek, slick with the tears rolling down it. 

“I know, Axel, but it hurts. Everything hurts so much.” As if to accentuate his point, his small frame was wracked with a coughing fit that twisted his beautiful face into a mask of pain. Axel was beside himself, hands fluttering as if he could somehow take away the other’s misery. When he stopped coughing, Roxas gasped for air and turned, reaching out for Axel. “Please...would you lay with me? Please, just for a moment.” It didn’t matter to Axel that they would be seen, it didn’t matter that they were surrounded by death; there was nothing he wouldn’t do for the blonde. As gently as he could, Axel squeezed his lanky frame onto the edge of the makeshift bed, trying not to jostle of displace the smaller man, and then wrapped his arms around Roxas. With great effort, Roxas curled into the taller’s side, pillowing his head on Axel’s shoulder. A tight whimper escaped the redhead as he forced back his tears, but crying could come later, when it wouldn’t obstruct his view of his love. No words were needed, but what passed between the two men in those timeless last hours was beyond the need for such trivial things. When it was over, the very foundation of the world Axel resided in had shifted, his entire life had been irrevocably changed. When he felt Roxas go limp against him, felt the life leave the body he held tightly, a howl of mournful pain left Axel, echoing and reverberating throughout the room and space and time and everything and- 

Axel jolted awake. He flew into a sitting position, looking around desperately to figure out where he was. Dark, unfamiliar room, in a bed...beside Roxas. They’d made it back to Roxas’s place after the clock tower, this was Roxas’s room. Axel bit his hand to keep himself silent as tears poured unchecked down his cheeks. He KNEW that it was a memory; that this was a different Roxas, HIS Roxas, at his side, but he couldn’t stop himself from reaching out a shaking hand to gently touch the sleeping blonde beside him. Roxas grumbled and frowned in his unconsciousness, rolling over to throw an arm around Axel’s waist and snuggle closer to the man. 

Axel wept for a long-ago Roxas that had never been his for a long while after that.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The holidays are difficult. Reee. 😬

Roxas woke the next morning, pleasantly sore and feeling lazy. When they’d made it back to Roxas’s room, Axel had made good on his promise and returned what the blonde gave him...and then some. Speaking of...where WAS Axel? The redhead had fallen asleep with him, seemingly just as exhausted as he had been, but Roxas found himself alone in the rumpled bed. After a few moments in which Axel did not return, curiosity beat out sloth and Roxas let out a dramatic groan while rolling himself out of bed. He had not planed on getting out of that bed for hours. He padded quietly to the kitchen, where he noticed it wasn’t even seven in the morning. The house was totally still, Pence was snoring undisturbed in the living room, and not another sound could be heard. Did the redhead duck out to have a cigarette? Trying his hardest not to wake his roommate, Roxas let himself out stealthily, easing the door back gently to silence the squeak of the hinges. That was when he heard a voice. 

“Yeah, exactly. I don’t know what I’m- well yeah, but-“ It was Axel’s voice, being interrupted by a voice Roxas couldn’t hear. He looked around but still saw nothing, so he crept along the porch to where the sounds seemed to be coming from. “I really miss you. Zexion, too. I’ll try, man, but...I don’t know.” Roxas didn’t want to be caught eavesdropping, but...he wanted to find out more about Axel. Heart hammering, he hugged the wall just before the corner and listened in. “Please tell Zexion I appreciate him doing the research. How crazy is it going to be when I have proof? That’s the only way I’m ever going to be able to tell him.” Roxas swallowed hard, feeling his eyes go wide. A secret? The blond had a sinking suspicion that the ‘him’ being referred to was...well, him. “If we can get enough together, I’ll come back with no hesitation whatsoever. You guys just keep me in the loop. Yeah, yeah, alright. Bye, Demy.” Axel was going to leave? And- shit. Roxas heard grass rustle and leaves crunch as Axel began to head around from the side of the house, and he panicked briefly. He raced as quietly as he could to the door, pulled it open, and then pushed it shut again right as Axel stepped into view. 

“Axel?” he called out softly, as if he’d just stepped out, and the redhead waved, giving him an easy smile. 

“Hey, Rox, I’m sorry. I needed to make a phone call and I didn’t wanna wake anyone up. Can I snuggle you back to sleep?” Roxas nodded and let those large, warm hands settle around him supportively, guiding him back to his own bed, but he couldn’t stop wondering about what Axel had been talking about. The redhead tucked them both back into bed, cuddling close and enveloping Roxas in long arms and pleasant body heat with a blissful smile like there was nothing in the world that could make him happier, and fell back asleep quickly. The blonde laid there, feeling guilty and worried, unable to find sleep again. 

Two painfully long hours later, Axel began to stir, yawning and stretching before finding Roxas and pulling the smaller man towards him and fitting himself against the blonde. Roxas laid his head on Axel’s chest. He’d decided after a long while of thought and introspection that Axel was good for his life, be it for a week or a year, and that he wanted to keep the man around until he didn’t feel that way anymore. He just...wouldn’t let himself get TOO attached. That way, when Axel left or whatever it was that he was going to do, it would be sad but not devastating. After a moment of peaceful, comfortable snuggling, Roxas craned his neck upwards to leave small kisses on Axel’s throat and jaw until the redhead finally cracked an eye open to look at him. 

“Mm, Roxy. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to get my attention,” Axel murmured teasingly, angling his head down to capture Roxas’s lips in a more purposeful kiss, and the pair were just starting to get involved when a knock sounded lightly on the door. Axel groaned softly, grabbing Roxas’s abandoned pillow and covering his face with it while the blonde sat up with a quiet laugh at his companion’s antics. 

“Yeah?” he called out, and Pence answered from the other side of the door. 

“Family breakfast? If you want. Olette and I have been up cooking for a while.” Roxas cocked an eyebrow at Axel, who’d removed the pillow at the mention of food, and chuckled at the overly dramatic starvation act the man had begun. 

“Is Axel considered part of the family yet?” Roxas called, and a genuinely happy sounding laugh followed. 

“He is if you’ve still got him in there. Come out, I’m gonna go get Hayner.” 

“Be right there.” The blonde cocked an eyebrow at Axel before gesturing grandly towards the space next to the bed. “After you, I’d hate for them to know I’m starving you in here.” Axel sprang up with a laugh, fluidly bounding over Roxas and holding out a hand for the blonde, who took it with a smile. It was too easy to be charmed by the redhead; his heart didn’t want to keep any distance even though his brain was struggling to remind him of his earlier decision. He let out a quiet breath of air as he led the way to the kitchen and his waiting roommates. This was going to be harder than he’d imagined.

**Author's Note:**

> Like what you see here? I’ve got more!
> 
> Finished:  
> There’s An App For That  
> Into The Unknown  
> In progress:  
> Discord Required  
> Got It Memorized?  
> A Pirate’s Life For Me
> 
> Plus more to come! ❤️


End file.
